A bird’s-eye view of Nanshan (South Mountain).

Unparalleled Pharman.

The consecration ceremony for the 108-meter standing statue of Guanyin.

    Bountiful in beauty and marvelous in mystique, facing the South China Sea, China’s southernmost mountain is Nanshan (South Mountain).

The 108-meter-high Nanshan Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara) towering over the sea.

Seaside refreshment.

Freeing a captive bird.

    Since ancient times Nanshan has remained in the thoughts of those who knew and know it as an auspicious and blessed place. According to Buddhist sutras, Bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara) made 12 vows to liberate all beings from their karmic woes, the second of which was “to inhabit the South China Sea forever.” During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), after five failed attempts to reach Japan with the goal of spreading Buddhist doctrine, the eminent monk Jian Zhen stopped in Nanshan and constructed a Buddhist temple. After a year and a half preaching in the temple, Jian Zhen embarked on his sixth mission to Japan, and this was a success.

    Buddhist legend also enhances the sense of Nanshan as a historical place befitting Chinese traditional cultural aspects, such as that of happiness and longevity. As a famous saying goes: “Good fortune as boundless as the East Sea, Long life as great as Nanshan Mountain.”

    The Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone is a vast eco-cultural tourism zone comprising the location’s exceptional natural landscapes and historical and cultural resources – rarely seen in such geographical concentration. It is among the first list of national AAAAA scenic zones.

    With a planned area of 50 square kilometers, including a sea area of 10 square kilometers, the tourism zone now encompasses such scenic attractions as Golden Guanyin, World of Happiness and Longevity, Nanshan Temple and Crescent Bay.

    Nanshan, with its uniqueness and beauty, is now a popular destination attracting tourists from home and abroad. Visitors enjoy the tropical delights of the sun, sand, sea, flowers and trees, while relishing in the meditative qualities and purity offered and extolled by Buddhist culture.