Yazhou — the modern Yazhou District — is the historic core of southern Hainan, the administrative capital of this corner of the empire from the Tang dynasty until the city of Sanya was founded in modern times. The ancient town lies about 40 kilometres west of central Sanya and is far quieter than the resort strips: a small grid of streets centred on the Ming-era Yazhou Confucian Temple and the surviving stretches of the old city wall.
The Confucian Temple is the highlight, restored in the early 2000s and one of the better examples of southern Chinese temple architecture in the area. The surrounding streets retain some old houses and a handful of small museums on the history of Hainan exile and the local Li culture. It is not on most tourist circuits — most visitors come specifically — and it makes a low-key alternative to the polish of Nanshan or Tianya Haijiao.