Nanshan Temple (Sanya)
Nanshan Temple (Chinese: 南山寺; pinyin: Nánshānsì; lit. 'South mountain temple') is a Buddhist temple located in Sanya, Hainan province, China.[1][2][3] The temple's name originates from a popular Buddhist expression. (Chinese: 福如东海, 寿比南山; lit. 'Good fortune is much as the East Sea; longevity is high as Nanshan').
![](../I/Haishangguanyin.jpg.webp)
History
The temple was built on April 12, 1988 to commemorate two thousand years of Buddhism in China.[4] It has a total area of 40,000 square metres.[4] It contains several Tang dynasty replicas.
The temple is part of an area known as the Nanshan Buddhism Cultural Zone, classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.[5]
Geography
It is located just 40 kilometers west of Sanya City along the Hainan West Expressway. It is a window on China's traditional Buddhism culture.
Summary
The Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone is a large Buddhist complex located 40 km west of Sanya. The area highlights consists of gardens, sculptures, sea views, and different sites dedicated to Buddhist worship. One of its attractions is the 3-sided Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) statue and at 354 feet (108m) high, is the tallest Guanyin statue in the world.[6][7] There is also another buddhist statue nearby in Nanshan temple, the Golden Jade Kwan-yin Statue (Avalokiteshvara, Goddess of Compassion). The Statue is considered to be a national treasure with the height of 3.8 meters (12.5 feet) and with a cost of 192 million yuan. It was constructed out of gold, diamonds and jade, among other precious stones.[8]
The zone has been designated a Priority Project of China Tourism Development and earmarked for further development. Hainan is the only province in China to explicitly be identified by the Chinese authorities for the development of tourism as a mainstay industry. It is also intended to become a test zone for China’s tourism reform and tech innovation.[9]
References
- "Nanshan Temple in Sanya". cultural-china.com. Archived from the original on 2011-03-17.
- "Nanshan Temple".
- "三亚南山将敲响祖国最南端的2011年吉祥钟声". news.163.com, NetEase. 2010-12-21. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- "Sanya Nanshan Cultural Park & the 108M Guanyin Statue". whatsonsanya.com. 2010-06-29.
- "AAAAA Scenic Areas". China National Tourism Administration. 16 November 2008. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- "The world's most jaw-dropping sculptures and statues". loveexploring.com. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- "Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone, Sanya, Hainan". www.travelchinaguide.com. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- "Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone, Sanya, Hainan". www.travelchinaguide.com. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- YU, Hong (2011-06-01). "Developing China's Hainan into an International Tourism Destination: How Far Can This Go?". East Asia. 28 (2): 85–113. doi:10.1007/s12140-011-9143-2. ISSN 1874-6284.