Nanshan Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Sanya, Hainan province, People's Republic China. The temple's name originates from a popular Buddhist expression.
The Guan Yin of the South Sea of Sanya is a 108-metre statue of the bodhisattva Guan Yin, sited on the south coast of China's island province Hainan in the Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone near the Nanshan Temple west of Sanya. The statue has three aspects; one side faces inland and the other two face the South China Sea, to represent blessing and protection by Guan Yin of China and the whole world. One aspect depicts Guan Yin cradling a sutra in the left hand and gesturing the Vitarka Mudra with the right, the second with her palms crossed, holding a string of prayer beads, and the third holding a lotus. The mantra Om mani padme hum is written in Tibetan script around each aspects' halo. This is currently the fourth tallest statue in the world (many of which are Buddhist statues) and the tallest statue of Guan Yin in the world. The statue took six years to build and was enshrined on April 24, 2005, with the participation of 108 eminent monks from various Buddhist groups in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland China, and tens of thousands of pilgrims. The delegation also included monks from the Theravada and Vajrayana traditions.
