# Nanshan Temple (南山寺)

Sanya, Hainan Province · South China, China · Guidebook rating: 5/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/nanshan-temple-sanya
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥129
- **Time needed:** 1–2 hours
- **Getting there:** Take the new tourist bus from Yalong Bay to Daxiaodongtian, with the last return departure at 19:00. You can also take a minibus from Sanya West Bus Station (汽车西站) to Nanshan for ¥4, or catch one of the many minibuses on Jiefang 2nd Road (解放二路) to Nanshan. Bus 16 or 30 stops at the Nanshan Scenic Area stop.
- **Good for:** Temples, Hiking & Outdoors, Photography, Nature

## About Nanshan Temple

One of Hainan's most famous temples, Nanshan Temple is part of the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Area, a 5A-rated scenic area in Sanya (the other 5A-rated area is Daxiaodongtian). It lies 40 km west of Sanya city, on the southern foothills of Nanshan. Its location is excellent: hills embrace it on both sides, it faces the vast blue expanse of the South China Sea, and clouds and mist drift over the mountain all year round. Legend says that in 748 CE, Master Jianzhen (鉴真大师), on his fifth attempt to sail to Japan, was blown off course by a typhoon and his ship drifted into Nanshan Bay, where the first Buddhist hall was built. The present temple is of course a modern reconstruction. Out at sea beside it stands a huge statue of Guanyin, which has become a landmark of Sanya.

## Tips from the guidebook

- 1. Golden and Jade Guanyin: Be sure to see the Golden and Jade Guanyin on Nanshan with your own eyes. Entry costs ¥20. The statue is unusual: 3.8 metres tall, it was built using over 100 kilograms of gold, more than 120 carats of South African diamonds and 100 kilograms of jadeite.
- 2. Nanshan's beaches: The currents are strong and the reefs are numerous, so swimming is not allowed.
- 3. Vegetarian meals are pricey: Nanshan Temple offers nearly 100 types of self-service vegetarian dishes, usually made from wild mushrooms from the mountains, konjac and tofu products. They taste pretty good and cost ¥68 per person. You must buy an entrance ticket and enter the temple before you can eat them.
- 4. No need to buy incense to enter the temple: Nanshan Temple now follows a civilised incense-offering practice and no longer allows large incense sticks to be burned. Every visitor entering the temple is given free thin incense sticks.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 2550. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.