# Nanshan Temple and the Guanyin statue, Sanya > Nanshan is a seaside Buddhist park 40 km west of downtown Sanya, with a working temple, gardens and the 108-metre Guanyin of the South Sea on its own island. Entry plus the park's sightseeing train costs roughly ¥130–160 (unofficial). It's open daily from about 8:00 to 17:00. Allow three to four hours, half a day with the drive. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/sanya/nanshan-temple - City: [Sanya](https://yesgo.io/china/sanya), China - YesGo score: 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 3 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: ≈ ¥103–129, depending on season and seller - Entry + sightseeing train: ≈ ¥133–159; the train alone is about ¥30 - Children: Under 1.2 m free; taller children pay a child fare - Hours: Daily ≈ 8:00–17:00 (Travel China Guide says until 17:30) - Nanshan Temple itself: Inside the park, no separate ticket - From downtown Sanya: ≈ 40 km: taxi or DiDi 40–60 min; buses 16 and 25 take longer - From Phoenix Airport (SYX): ≈ 26 km, about 30 minutes by car - Payment: Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to your foreign card, or cash in yuan - Visa: Hainan: 30 days visa-free for 61 countries, including the US, UK and Australia - Coordinates: 18.30434, 109.20616 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **108 m** — height of the Guanyin of the South Sea, including its base (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) - **≈ 40 km** — west of downtown Sanya (source: English Wikipedia (Nanshan Temple, Sanya); Travel China Guide; China Discovery) - **3–4 hours** — with the sightseeing train; half a day or more at a slow pace (source: China Discovery (half to one day); Travel China Guide (one day)) - **Three faces** — one turned inland, two out to the South China Sea (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia) - **24 April 2005** — the statue was consecrated after six years of building (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia; Wikidata Q2976528) - **1998** — Nanshan Temple opened, marking 2,000 years of Buddhism in China (source: English Wikipedia; Wikidata Q4494941) - **3.8 m** — Golden Jade Guanyin, made with gold, jade and gemstones (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide; China Discovery) - **5A** — China's top grade for tourist attractions (source: English Wikipedia; Qunar ticket listing) - **南山寺** — the temple's Chinese name, said “Nanshansi” (source: Chinese Wikipedia; Wikidata Q4494941) - **30 days** — visa-free on Hainan for ordinary passports from 61 countries (source: National Immigration Administration of China, 20 August 2026) ## How much are Nanshan tickets? There's no separate temple ticket — you pay to enter the whole park, and the price depends on season and seller. Travel China Guide lists **¥129 from October to April and ¥108 from May to September**; Chinese ticket sites quoted ¥103–124 in 2025. With the sightseeing train most combos land around ¥133–159. We couldn't find an official price list. Children under 1.2 m go free and taller children pay a child fare. Chinese ticket sites show senior fares for ages 60–69, but whether they apply to foreign passports varies — ask at the gate. Summer deals come and go: from late June to September the park sold adult tickets for ¥120. Buy at the ticket office or in advance through an online seller such as Trip.com. Most of China pays by phone, so link your foreign Visa or Mastercard to **Alipay** or WeChat Pay before the trip and carry some cash as a fallback. Bring your passport too. > **Get the ticket with the sightseeing train** The park stretches along the shore, and the temple, the gardens and the statue are kilometres apart in tropical heat. That's why nearly every seller bundles **entry with the sightseeing train** (观光车): it hops between the main stops and turns a full-day slog into a three-to-four-hour visit. Bought separately, Travel China Guide puts it at about ¥30. ## Which Nanshan ticket to buy | | Entry only | Entry + train | Entry + train + shuttle | Entry + train + evening show | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Adult, yuan | ≈ 103–129 | ≈ 133–159 | ≈ 174 | ≈ 298 | | Includes | Park, temple, statue | Plus the sightseeing train | Plus the car-park shuttle to the gate | Plus the evening show | | Best for | Keen walkers | Most visitors | Drivers | Staying after dark | Unofficial, from Travel China Guide, dahepiao.com and the Qunar ticket listing. Prices shift with season and seller — confirm at the ticket office. ## What is the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone? Nanshan (南山, “South Mountain”) is a large Buddhist park on Hainan's south coast, about 40 km west of downtown Sanya, graded 5A — China's highest tourism rating. At its heart is **Nanshan Temple** (南山寺), a working monastery opened in 1998 to mark 2,000 years of Buddhism in China, surrounded by gardens, pavilions and restaurants. The headline sight is the **Guanyin of the South Sea**, a 108-metre statue of the bodhisattva of compassion standing on a man-made island just offshore. It was consecrated on 24 April 2005 after six years of building, and the figure itself is about 78 m tall above its base. A long bridge leads out to it from the shore. ## Is Nanshan Temple worth visiting? Yes, if you want scale and sea views: standing at the foot of a 108-metre Guanyin is genuinely striking, and the gardens are a calm break from the beaches. It's not an ancient site, though — everything here dates from the late 1990s onward — and it's a commercial park with ticket bundles, shops and shows. Go early, take the train, and you'll see the best of it in a morning. If old temples are what you're after, you'll find more history on the mainland; if you're in Sanya and want one cultural outing, this is the obvious choice. ## What to see at Nanshan - **Guanyin of the South Sea** — 108 m on its own island, with the bridge out from shore and a terrace at the base. - **Nanshan Temple** — the working monastery, with its main Golden Hall, incense burners and bell. - **Golden Jade Guanyin** — a 3.8-metre statue of gold, jade and gemstones in its own pavilion. One guide says it may carry a small extra charge. - **Thirty-three Guanyins** — a row of statues showing the bodhisattva in different forms. - **Longevity Valley** — the garden area at the foot of Nanshan Mountain, with shaded paths. - **The seafront** — the classic view of the statue across the water, best in the soft morning light. - **The evening show** — a separate ticket if you stay on after dark. > **What to wear and how to behave** There's no formal dress code, but this is an active monastery: cover shoulders and knees and save beachwear for the beach. Inside the halls keep your voice down, step over the threshold rather than on it, don't touch the statues and don't photograph monks without asking. Take incense only from stalls with a posted price, and politely decline paid “blessings” offered by strangers. ## How to get to Nanshan Temple 1. From downtown Sanya (Jiefang Road) or Sanya Bay, take a taxi or DiDi: about 40 km, 40–60 minutes west along the expressway. Show the driver 南山文化旅游区 — Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone. 2. By city bus: Travel China Guide and Chinese guides list routes **16** and **25** through downtown to the Nanshansi (南山寺站) stop at the entrance. The ride is well over an hour, and the last buses back leave in the early evening. Sanya's bus numbers change, so check in a map app first. 3. From Sanya Phoenix Airport (SYX): about 26 km and roughly 30 minutes by car — the airport is on the west side of the city, on the way. 4. By train: Nanshan North station (南山北站) is on Hainan's western ring railway, but few trains stop and you'd still need a bus or taxi to the gate — not practical for a day trip. 5. On a guided tour from Sanya: a driver-guide handles transport and tickets, which saves sorting out apps and payment. Going back on your own, order a DiDi from the main gate. ## Opening hours and when to go The park opens **daily from about 8:00 to 17:00**; Travel China Guide says it stays open until 17:30. Arrive at opening, especially at weekends and on Chinese public holidays: by midday the heat is heavy and the bridge to the statue is busy. The walk out to the statue is the sunniest part of the visit — bring a hat and water. Sanya is pleasant from autumn to April, when it's drier and less humid. Summer and autumn bring heavy rain and typhoons; outdoor sights can close on storm-warning days, so keep a spare day in your plans. ## Vegetarian food at Nanshan No meat is served in the park — it's Buddhist ground. The main restaurant is **Yuanqilou** (缘起楼), known for its vegetarian buffet of mushrooms, tofu and local greens, and there are cafés for tea and snacks. Carry plenty of water: the stops are far apart. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Passport — for the ticket and any discount - [ ] Alipay linked to a foreign card, plus some cash in yuan - [ ] Clothes that cover shoulders and knees - [ ] Hat, SPF 50 and water - [ ] DiDi installed and 南山文化旅游区 saved on screen - [ ] Leave before 9 am to beat the heat ## Temples and sacred sites compared Places of worship rated by YesGo. - [Nanshan Buddhist Cultural Zone](https://yesgo.io/china/sanya/nanshan-temple) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ ¥130–160 with park train ## A day on Sanya's west side Nanshan in the cool of the morning, the rocks of Tianya Haijiao on the way back, then the Phoenix Island waterfront and sunset from Luhuitou. YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Nanshan Buddhist Cultural Zone](https://yesgo.io/china/sanya/nanshan-temple) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ ¥130–160 with park train 2. [Tianya Haijiao](https://yesgo.io/china/sanya/tianya-haijiao) — YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free, advance booking required 3. [Phoenix Island](https://yesgo.io/china/sanya/phoenix-island) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free from the shore; island by booking 4. [Luhuitou Park](https://yesgo.io/china/sanya/luhuitou-park) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free entry; cart 28 yuan return ## Good to know Nanshan (“South Mountain”) is a common name in China — there's a Nanshan district in Shenzhen and Nanshan hills elsewhere; this page is about the Buddhist park near Sanya on Hainan. The 108-metre sea Guanyin and the 3.8-metre Golden Jade Guanyin are two different statues in the same park. Hainan's own 30-day visa-free rule applies only on the island. ## Tips - Arrive at opening: the statue is quieter and the light over the sea is softer. - Photograph the statue from the shore at the start of the bridge — up close it won't fit in the frame. - Pack a light scarf: it covers your shoulders in the temple and keeps the sun off afterwards. - Have lunch in the park — the Yuanqilou vegetarian buffet is part of the experience. - Stop at [Tianya Haijiao](https://yesgo.io/china/sanya/tianya-haijiao) on the way back to town; it's on the same road. ## Questions ### How much is the ticket to Nanshan Temple? There's no official price list we could open. Unofficially, entry is about ¥103–129 and entry with the sightseeing train about ¥133–159. Children under 1.2 m go free. ### How do I get to Nanshan Temple from Sanya? Taxi or DiDi is quickest: about 40 km and 40–60 minutes. Buses 16 and 25 run to the Nanshansi stop at the gate but take well over an hour; check the route in a map app. ### How long do you need at Nanshan? Three to four hours with the sightseeing train, half a day including the drive. Allow a full day if you want to walk everything and have lunch. ### Is the sightseeing train worth it? Yes for most people. The sights are kilometres apart in the heat, and the train links the main stops for about ¥30 on top of entry. ### What are Nanshan's opening hours? Daily from about 8:00 to 17:00; Travel China Guide gives 17:30 as closing time. Arrive early to avoid heat and crowds. ### How tall is the Guanyin statue in Sanya? 108 m including its base; the figure itself is about 78 m. It was consecrated in 2005 and has three faces, one turned inland and two towards the sea. ### Is there a dress code at Nanshan Temple? No formal one, but it's an active monastery — cover shoulders and knees inside the temple. Wear comfortable shoes: there's a lot of walking even with the train. ### Is Nanshan Temple worth visiting? For the giant statue, sea views and a calm Buddhist atmosphere, yes. It's a modern site, so don't go expecting ancient architecture. ### Can I eat at Nanshan? Yes, but only vegetarian food: the Yuanqilou restaurant serves a vegetarian buffet, and there are cafés for snacks and tea. ## How we checked The English core comes from English-language search results and related questions. We couldn't open an official park website or account with prices, so every price is unofficial: Travel China Guide (¥129 / ¥108 by season, train ¥30), Chinese ticket sites (entry ¥103–124, with train ¥133–159) and a summer deal (¥120) — we show the range. Hours: 8:00–17:00 at China Discovery and dahepiao.com, 8:00–17:30 at Travel China Guide. Statue height, its three faces and the consecration date are confirmed by three Wikipedias. Buses 16 and 25 come from Travel China Guide and Chinese guides; there's no official timetable. Taxi fares in sources vary widely, so we don't quote one. Ctrip blocks automated requests and we didn't try to get round it. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Nanshan Temple (Sanya), Guanyin of Nanshan; Russian Wikipedia: Статуя Гуаньинь (Наньшань); Chinese Wikipedia: 南山海上观音圣像; Wikidata Q4494941, Q2976528 - Travel China Guide: Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone, updated 8 August 2025 - China Discovery: Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone (Nanshan Temple) - dahepiao.com: Nanshan tickets and hours, 2025; Qunar ticket listing for Nanshan; china.com: Nanshan summer offer, June 2026 - National Immigration Administration of China: Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies for Foreign Nationals, 20 August 2026 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.