The Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone covers a large stretch of the southern Hainan coast about 40 kilometres west of central Sanya, built up in the late 1990s as a major Buddhist pilgrimage site. The complex includes a modern reconstruction of a Tang-style temple, gardens, a vegetarian restaurant, and the headline attraction — a 108-metre statue of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion, standing offshore on an artificial island. At the time of its completion in 2005 it was the tallest statue in the world.
The Guanyin is impressive at scale, with three faces (one looking out to sea, two looking inland) each carved with extraordinary detail. Inside the lotus pedestal is a hall containing the Golden Jade Guanyin — a 3.8-metre statue made from gold, diamonds, and South Sea pearls. Allow at least half a day for the whole complex; getting between the entrance, the temple, and the Guanyin requires either a long walk or the shuttle bus included with admission. The site can feel theme-park-ish but it is taken seriously as a religious site, and the views back to shore from the base of the statue are genuinely striking.