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The city of Sanya, located on the southernmost point of Hainan Island, is often regarded as the “Hawaii of China”, due to its unique distinction of being the country’s only tropical city.
I had the opportunity to visit Sanya during a family trip to Hainan Island, the ancestral home of my in-laws, in December 2017, long before the Covid-19 pandemic that affected the whole world.
Although there are many places worth visiting in Sanya (especially its famous bays and sandy beaches), one particular place that I would like to talk about is the Nanshan Temple, and one of its most famous landmarks, the 108m-high statue of the Goddess of Mercy or Guan Yin.
Located about 40km from the main district, this temple is just one part of an entire 27ha area known as the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, which consists of three parks. Each park has a special theme, and the Nanshan Buddhist Culture Park is where you can find the Nanshan Temple.
The temple was built in 1998, therefore one can say it is fairly new.
The Nanshan Temple measures 188m wide from east to west, and 416m long from south to north. Entrance to the temple is on the north side, while the statue is at the southern end.
We enjoyed our slow walk inside the temple grounds, while appreciating the other landmarks along the way, such as the Spinning Urns (where devotees touch the urns for blessings), as well as several giant hand statues of Guan Yin, placed randomly throughout the temple grounds.
While inside the temple, we never lost sight of the main statue. We could see her no matter where we went in the temple.
The statue is located on a man-made island approximately 200m from the temple grounds, and is connected via a link bridge.
The marble statue consists of not one, but three figures of the goddess, each facing a different direction as well as having different hand poses (representing peace, wisdom, and mercy). Depending on which angle you are viewing the statue from, you can typically see up to two out of the three figures of the goddess at any one time.
At 108m high, this statue is even taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York, which stands at 93m.
The goddess statue stands on a bronze lotus, and underneath the lotus is the main prayer hall of Nanshan Temple. The highest point that visitors can go up to is the lotus, where one can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding South China Sea.
You can also go up to the viewing platform on the lotus. However, the route up to the lotus is surprisingly long, and you’d have to pass by several long hallways surrounded by gold idols of Guan Yin, as well as multiple staircases, including some very narrow ones!
When you finally reach the lotus platform, the first thing that you will see is Guan Yin’s feet. Some devotees would touch the goddess’ toes for a blessing or two.
The viewing platform gives a magnificent view of the South China Sea, and beyond.
After coming down from the statue, we went back to the main entrance, passing by a few other notable landmarks within the temple grounds, such as the Bodhi tree garden, and even a God of Prosperity Temple.
All in all, the Nanshan Temple is truly a wonderful place to visit, regardless of whether you’re a Buddhist or not, as this is where you can discover more about Buddhist culture.
The views expressed are entirely the reader’s own.
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