China. Hainan

On one of the days of rest on the island of Hainan, we swept to the center of Nanshan Buddhism.
Nanshan (South Mountain) is located on the southern coast of the island, 40 km from the island's capital, Sanya.
We went on our own - a taxi cost 300 yuan, including an entrance fee for
the territory of the park. Payment on return, the taxi driver meekly waited for us :)

The park is located on a huge territory - 50 sq. km., organized tourists
move around the park on open buses and electric vehicles.
We went on foot, which turned out to be quite tiring in the heat :)
If anyone wants to repeat our feat - wear comfortable shoes.

Nanshan is a Buddhist center with temples and a huge landscaped park.
The entrance to the park is through these gates.

This gate is also considered the main entrance to the world of Buddhism. If we say that on this side is the philistine, earthly world, then inside, on the other side of the gate, is the world of Buddhism. Above, in the very middle, two hieroglyphs are written on this side and two on the reverse side. According to Buddhist concepts, the meanings of both inscriptions are the same: all deeds and deeds are ultimately equal, there is no difference between them. The path to Buddhism lies in this direction. To feel the absence of differences means to cross the boundaries of life and death, to reach nirvana.

From the entrance we go down to the sea, and the largest and highest attraction of the park becomes visible.

On the sides of the road are small lakes and Chinese-style houses.

There are candlesticks in front of every temple. Believers buy candles and bow three times.
This candlestick is in front of the entrance to the bridge leading to the statue.

View of the way back, along it we went down to the sea.

So we got to the sea.
The statue of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy was completed in 2005.
Its height is 108 meters, it is the largest statue of the goddess in the world.
Built on an artificial island, to which a bridge leads.
They didn't let us in under the statue, there were still construction works.

From this side, it seems that the goddess is facing us. But in fact, she has three faces.

The Goddess of Mercy is one in three persons, she has a solemn look. She stands on a lotus flower with 108 petals. (In Buddhism, the number 108 is sacred, i.e. sacred: 108 beads of a classic rosary that help to pray for 108 kinds of desires that prevent a person from achieving Enlightenment; the collection of sayings of the Buddha consists of 108 volumes, etc.). The goddess in Buddhism personifies mercy. Her main occupation is to help the Buddha Amita to meet the dead souls who arrived in heaven. On Earth, she helps Shakya Muni to spread education and moral influence. The Goddess of Mercy can transform into a "goddess with eleven faces", "goddess with a horse's head", "many-armed and many-eyed goddess".
From this side, you see that she is holding a book in her hands - a holy scripture. This symbolizes wisdom. On the right side, she has a rosary in her hands, which symbolizes the salvation of the soul. Going through the rosary, she helps people free themselves from torment and reach the border of freedom. On the left side you see a lotus flower. Lotus is a sacred flower in Buddhism, it is a symbol of purity and innocence.

Apparently the height of 108 meters is also not just like that.

The bridge offers a great view of the sea and mountainous Hainan.

On the other side, you can see the complex of Buddha temples, where we safely stamped on foot.

We walk to the temple complex.

The statue of the goddess is visible from anywhere in the park.

Tourists are transported along these paths. To the right is a pedestrian area.

Garden with bells. Judging by the inscriptions on them, some of the bells are 400 years old.

We got to the temples.

From here, one more face of the Goddess of Mercy becomes visible: with a rosary in her hands, a symbol of the salvation of the soul.

Wish tree.

Someone's wish :)

That's all. Let your wishes come true!

used information from the site

Nanshan Buddhism Center is located 40 km west of Sanya. This is a huge Buddhist center, a sacred place for Buddhists. Despite constant changes, Nanshan is always beautiful and peaceful.

The park, built on the territory of the former Buddhist temple, its territory is 600 hectares. The Nanshan Buddhist complex includes a Temple with a golden statue of the goddess Guanyin, listed in the Guinness Book of Records, a longevity alley, a meditation park, a Mind Purification Bell, a Vessel of Purity, and many other places sacred to Buddhists.

Nanshan is the highest standard of Feng Shui - a philosophical concept that is so fashionable in the world and has been known in China for over 3000 years. This is the highest harmony of Man and Nature, Man and Society.

The entrance to the park is opened by a gate with the inscription: "Bu Ar Fo Men" (translated from Chinese - One teaching, there is no other).

Not far from the entrance is a tambourine of happiness, hitting it three times becomes happy.

We begin our journey through the magnificent park of the Buddhist center of Nanshan. Hiding under the shade of tropical palms and inhaling the light aroma of exotic flowers, we approach the Jug of Purity. This is a huge stone jar in the middle of the garden, so named because it always stores water from the sky, that is, rain. At its base is a small container of water in which goldfish swim, waiting for someone to feed them rice. According to legend, when all the wars and enmity in the world end, water will flow from the jug, cleansing the earth from everything bad. Buddhists believe that such a day will come.

And here is the long-awaited pagoda with the Golden Guanyin statue. At the entrance you can buy incense (exactly three pieces), and put it as a sign of worship to the goddess of mercy, this will undoubtedly bring you happiness. With a slight excitement, we climb the worn steps of the pagoda, and plunge into the golden kingdom of Guanyin.

The majestic golden statue of Guanyin is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest golden statue in Asia. The statue itself is made of 140 kg of pure gold, adorned with over 400 carats of precious stones. Her height is 3.8 meters, stands on a jade stand in the form of a lotus flower, the statue fascinates with its grace, grace and fine jewelry work. The goddess has six hands, in each hand there are different symbolic objects in Buddhism: a rope (a symbol of salvation from trouble), a flower (a symbol of beauty), a jug (a symbol of fertility), a musical instrument (a symbol of harmony). Around the large statue are small replicas of Guanyin in glass gift boxes that you can buy. The lucky owner will be engraved with his name directly on the copy, and the honorary owner will be listed on the list, which is on public display on the wall of the pagoda. Among this list there are Russian owners of the statue.

Brief information about Guanyin: Kwan-Yin in China, Kannon in Japan.

Bodhisattva. Deity of compassion, mercy and forgiveness.

Considered a disciple of the Buddha. Depicted as a beautiful woman, on a lotus flower or with a lotus in her hands.

Legends say that, having reached perfection, Guanyin did not want to go to nirvana because of compassion for the world. Her name means "she who listens to the cries of the world".

It is believed that Guanyin always responds to the prayers of the afflicted and helps them.

There is no reliable information about the earthly life of Guanyin. However, some sources compare the image of Guanyin with the image of a person who actually lived in China. Moreover, this man was a man, but after his death, the image of the deity of mercy, responding to all the cries of the world, gradually acquired female features.

Guanyin is the patroness of women and childbirth.
Guanyin is considered the patroness of reiki.
Guanyin is the patroness of the Zhong Yuan Qigong school.

In Buddhist Chinese mythology, Guanyin is a female deity who saves people from all sorts of misfortunes and dangers, takes care of everyone who calls on his name. Guanyin is the embodiment of infinite compassion for all beings and all other best feminine qualities. Depicted in the form of a woman with a jug, with a willow branch (saving from trouble), a book (carrying the doctrine of salvation). Guanyin gives women long-awaited children, protects people whose profession is fraught with dangers. At the same time, she enters into an open fight against evil. The goddess has a three-faced image, since the number three is considered sacred in China. On the one hand, she holds a book in her hand, on the other hand - beads (a symbol of infinity), on the third - a flower (a symbol of beauty). In each image of Guanyin, her second hand is always free and extended to people, she is merciful and always ready to help the one who asks. Worship Guanyin three times and place three incense.

Having parted with the golden beauty with regret, we leave the pagoda and continue our way past a stone wall about 2-3 meters in height and at least 200 meters in length, on which a sacred Buddhist story is written, translated into Chinese from Hindi. It talks about Buddhist morality, prosperity, and provides the postulates of Buddhism.

We walk along the path, under the arch of living greenery and numerous pink flowers, and find ourselves in a fabulous gazebo. The view from this gazebo is amazing! Any description will be just a grain of those impressions that you experience looking at this piece of paradise! To the right is the ocean, to the left are mountains, in front of a clearing, on which there are many white doves. You can observe all this from a height of 50 m. A stone path leads to the clearing, on each side of it there are huge bushes with pink flowers, Christmas trees, beautiful trees, large and small flowers, in general, a riot of colors and a sea of ​​intoxicating aromas. Going down to the clearing, you can feed the pigeons.

We leave to the glade of twelve Arhats. Twelve gilded statues sit and stand there - these are the guards of the 4 cardinal directions, 12 months a year, heaven and earth. Each arhat has his own mission: begging, bored, grieving, wise, rich, etc. The most popular among believers is the “Asking” arhat, who asks God for good for people.

An interesting story with Primakov is connected with this arhat, which got into all the printed editions of China. In 1998, two weeks before Primakov was appointed Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, he was on the island of Hainan, visited a Buddhist park complex and took pictures near the “Asking” arhat, holding his hands. And two weeks later he became head of government. Chinese newspapers wrote a lot about this, and believed that it was the "Asking" arhat who helped Primakov.

There is also an alley of centenarians in the park. This is such an alley, entwined with greenery, and on its two sides are photographs of Hainan centenarians - those who are already over a hundred years old. In general, Hainan is considered the island of centenarians. The average life expectancy for women here is 75-85 years, for men 80-85 years. To visit the Valley of Longevity, you need an hour and a half - two, and if you still decide to reach the very top of the mountain, where Almitofu Buddha sits, then you will also need strength.

And now we get to the gates of the Nanshan Temple. Guanyin's personal guards stand at the gate, they look very stern ... We go up the stairs and find ourselves in the first hall, Guanyin herself is sitting in it. A high threshold is made at the entrance to the hall; in Buddhism, a high threshold protects from evil spirits, since evil spirits walk only in a straight line, bumping into a high threshold, they cannot enter the temple. Further, if you rise higher, there will be a second hall, there are three main Deities in it, the most important, in the middle, is Al Mi To Fu. All three Buddhas have differently folded fingers, which are certain symbols in Buddhism. On either side of them are the surviving monks. According to legend, 12 monks were shipwrecked at the foot of this mountain, they were rescued and carried ashore by dolphins. It was these monks who subsequently founded the Nanshan Temple.

The Nanshan Buddhism Center is located in China, on the island of Hainan, 40 kilometers from the city of Sanya. At the foot of Nanshan Mountain, on the territory of the Nanshan Cultural Tourist Zone, there is a landscape park with an area of ​​50 square kilometers, which is a huge temple complex. The entrance to the park is the Heavenly Gate, built in the style of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, above the entrance are inscribed the characters "non-duality" and "unity", written by the famous Chinese calligrapher Gu Ting Long. Outside the gate is the Gong of happiness, hitting it three times, you can count on well-being, wealth and good luck. In the Merciful Liberation Park, built in the classical style of Chinese gardens - with a lake, bridges and gazebos, palm and bamboo groves, there is a temple of the goddess Guanyin. The temple holds a golden statue of Guanyin, its height is 3.8 meters, it is made of 140 kilograms of pure gold, stands on a jade lotus flower and is encrusted with a thousand pearls, 120 diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, turquoise (the total weight of precious stones is 400 carat). Buddhists believe that the statue contains a particle of the ashes of Shakyamuni Buddha, and the eight-armed goddess herself gives people health, kindness, mercy, spirituality, willpower and wisdom. Not far from the Guanyin Temple is a giant Purity Pitcher carved in solid stone and filled with rainwater. It is believed that when all wars and conflicts cease in the world, water from a jug will spill onto the earth and cleanse it of evil. Behind the Merciful Liberation Park is the Longevity Valley. In the Valley there is a "family" statue of turtles - a symbol of family happiness in the circle of children and grandchildren, statues of Elephants and the Elder. A steep staircase of 10,000 steps leads to the top of Longevity. Having reached the top, you can ask for a long life for yourself and your loved ones at the statue of the Buddha of Longevity. Trees and sculptures in the Valley are literally hung with red ribbons and wooden plaques with names and wishes. Next, there is a temple of 33 statues of Guanyin, a clearing of 12 arhats and a 320-meter bridge that leads to an artificial island on which a 108-meter statue of the three-faced Guanyin is installed (its construction lasted 6 years, from 1999 to 2005). Those wishing to pray and touch the goddess's foot can climb up to the gilded lotus petals on which Guanyin stands. The Nanshan Buddhism Center, opened in 1999, is a cultural landmark of China, a center of Buddhist philosophy and morality, peace and harmony, a place of pilgrimage and worship, as well as a priority tourism project of China, for which 857,000,000 US dollars were spent.

The Nanshan Buddhism Center is the largest in Asia. It is located near the city of Sanya on the island of Hainan. This is part of the objects of the tourist zone. The place has become popular among pilgrims and ordinary travelers.

During his visit, you can see magnificent temples, majestic statues, endless green parks with tropical gardens, man-made ponds with colorful carps and turtles. The center is relatively young, but this in no way diminishes its value.

The area of ​​the center of Buddhism "Nanshan" - 50 square meters. kilometers.

You can explore the complex on your own or as part of an excursion group. There are also special paid tourist trains that regularly run between attractions.

Attractions

Arriving at the Center, the first thing a tourist meets is the Main Gate. They are also called "heavenly". A fine example of Chinese architecture. After passing them, a huge space opens up with beautiful parks and temple buildings.

Main attractions:

• statues with a temple of the goddess Guanyin;
• longevity valleys;
• temple "Nanshan";
• park "Happiness and prosperity";
• Merciful Liberation Park;
• Goddess Guanyin Park.

Nanshan Temple

The foot of the South Mountain was chosen as the site for the start of construction. In 1998 its construction was completed. The opening was timed to the holiday of Buddhism in China, 2000 years old. The temple became the largest for modern China. Its area was forty thousand square meters. The entrance is adorned with two Buddha statues. The complex consists of several buildings. The main hall is hidden at the top of the hill. You can climb to it by a steep staircase, having previously passed the rest of the halls below. There is also a terrace overlooking the bay and Guanyin Goddess.

Statue of Guanyin

The cultural complex started working a little later, in 1999. And the main attraction was installed only six years later. She became the statue of the goddess of Mercy - Guanyin. One of its features is that the construction stands on a bulk artificial island in the bay of the South China Sea.

The height of the statue of Guan Yin in the center of Buddhism "Nanshan" is 108 meters.

The statue is made in white. The goddess has three faces facing towards the island and the sea. In the hands of a rosary, a book and a lotus flower. Below, under the statue, a temple was built in her honor. There is already a golden statue of the goddess on a lotus flower. Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside.

On holidays, there are queues here mainly from the Chinese themselves. Believers pray for the health and well-being of their loved ones. After taking the elevator up, you can go to the observation deck at the feet of Guanyin.

Merciful Liberation Park

This is the most popular park because there is a temple with a golden statue of Guan Yin, inside which is part of the ashes of the Buddha. It took about 140 kilograms of gold to make it. The most expensive precious stones were used as decoration. The most valuable is the jade pedestal at the base of the statue. She was even included in the Guinness Book of Records. There is an additional fee to enter here.

Ticket price

Entrance to the territory of the center of Buddhism "Nanshan" paid. There are cash desks at the entrance. The cost varies for adults and children:

• entrance ticket to the territory for an adult - 150 yuan;
• children (height 1-1.2 meters) - 78 yuan;
• A ticket for a child up to 1 meter in height is not purchased.

Ticket to the statue of the goddess Guanyin - 88 yuan.

Ticket to the temple with a golden statue of Guanyin - 20 yuan.

Rent an audio guide - 40 yuan.

Travel around the complex on a tourist train - 20 yuan.

How to get there

The Nanshan Buddhism Center is located in the south of the island. On the coast west of the city of Sanya. The path is about 40 kilometers from the resort. It can be reached by public or rented transport. It makes sense to prepare a sign in advance indicating the required place in Chinese: 南山文化旅游区.

Buses to Nanshan

The center is located at the terminus of flights 25 and 29, which is called Nanshan Temple.

Routes operate from 06:30 to 19:30. Fares are charged based on the distance you travel. On average, a trip costs from 5 to 20 yuan. The stop is located at some distance from the main gate, to walk about a kilometer to them.

Automobile

There will be no problems with renting a car or scooter in Sanya. The journey by private transport will take about an hour. You need to move towards the international airport. Most of the road runs along the G98.

A mountain system in Central Asia on the territory of China, consisting of a series of high parallel ridges and intermountain depressions separating them. These ranges run mainly from west-northwest to east-southeast. The length of the mountain system is about 800 km with a width of 200 km to 400 km. In the north and northeast, Nanshan is bounded by the Alashan Desert, along the border of which runs the so-called Gansu Corridor (or Hexi Corridor) with a railway from Urumqi to Lanzhou, and in the southwest and west by the endorheic Tsaidam Depression, which for a considerable extent is salt desert.

Nanshan means the Southern Mountains, as these mountains were called by the inhabitants of the oases of the Gansu corridor.

In the center of Nanshan lies the high-mountain lake Kara-Nur, and in the southeastern part - the largest mountain lake in Central Asia - Kukunor (Qinghai).

The main ranges are: Ulan-Daban or Humboldt (1), Dasyueshan or Emashan (2), Turgendaban (3), Sulenanshan or Zyussa (4), Kukunor (5), Qilyanshan or Richthofen (6), etc.

The northern ranges rise about 4500 m above the Alashan desert, while the relative elevation of the southern slopes of Nanshan is about 1500 m.

In the literature and on geographical maps, two peaks higher than 6000 m are distinguished in Nanshan - in the Humboldt ridge 6305 m and in the Sulenanshan ridge 6346 m. ​​Modern data of Earth radar sounding available on the Internet indicate that in fact, there are no six-thousanders in Nanshan. Overestimation of heights on old maps is also typical for Kunlun, so, for example, Ulugmuztag and Monomakh's Cap with heights of 7723 and 7720 usually written on maps are actually much lower - 6921 and 6770, respectively. The same is true in Nanshan. The highest points of the Humboldt and Sulenanshan ranges have heights of about 5808 and 5757, respectively. Data on ascents to the peaks in Nanshan have not been found.

In the study of Nanshan, a large role belongs to Russian travelers - N.M. Przhevalsky, V.I. Roborovsky, G.N.

Potanin, G.E. Grumm-Grzhimailo, V.A. Obruchev.

The climate of Nanshan is sharply continental, but in comparison with the surrounding deserts it is more humid, especially in the eastern part, where the influence of the Pacific monsoon is already affecting. In the northwestern and central parts, moisture transfer from the northwest prevails. Most of the precipitation falls in the form of snow.

There are 2859 glaciers in Nanshan with a total area of ​​1972.5 sq. km. Intensive exploration of the Nanshan glaciers began in 1958 in connection with the problem of lack of water for irrigation in the foothill oases of the Hexi Corridor. In 1982, a complete catalog of the Nanshan glaciers was published. Among the valley glaciers, the largest is the Laohugou Glacier (length 10.1 km, area 21.9 sq. km), located on the northern slope of the Daxueshan Range in the northwestern part of Nanshan. The glacier flows down from the northern slopes of peak 5478 and descends to a height of 4740m.

The largest Nanshan glacier in terms of area is located in the eastern part of the Turgendaban ridge. This is the Dande Flat Top Glacier (5290, glacier area 57.1 sq. km).

The greatest glaciation occurs in the higher western and central regions of Nanshan, despite the fact that the eastern regions are wetter. The height of the snow line on the glaciers decreases from west to east from 5000-5100 m to 4300-4600 m.

Most of Nanshan belongs to the region of the internal flow of Central Asia, the southeastern regions - to the Yellow River basin. The rivers (the largest ones are the Sulehe, Zhoshui, Bukhyn-Gol) are full of water in spring and summer.

The western part of Nanshan has a predominantly desert appearance. Deserts and steppes dominate here up to a height of 3000 m, meadows and mountain tundra are located higher, and at elevations of more than 4000 m there is a nival belt.

The eastern part of Nanshan is dominated by steppe and forest-steppe landscapes. Spruce forests grow on the northern slopes of the ridges (in the lower belt of the mountain forest zone with an admixture of birch and aspen), rising from 2500 to 3000 m, in places quite dense. Above - crooked forests, tall-grass subalpine and alpine meadows, mountain tundra. On the northern slopes of the ridges, the altitudinal zonality of landscapes is better expressed than on the southern ones.

Diagram of the ranges of Nanshan

The largest valley glacier in Nanshan - Laohugou

Bottom right Dande Glacier

A landscape park and a Buddhist temple appeared here relatively recently - in 1999, and six years later, on an artificial island connected to the shore by a thin isthmus, the temple of Guanyin, the temple of the Goddess of Mercy, was erected. Above the temple is a 108-meter statue of the goddess, significantly exceeding in height even the well-known American Statue of Liberty in New York.

Nanshan Buddhism Center- a truly sacred place that embodies the highest harmony of Man with Nature and Society. The philosophical doctrine of Feng Shui is closely connected with this center, the standard of which it is. This Taoist practice, so fashionable in the Western world, has been known on Chinese soil for more than three millennia and is still actively used by the inhabitants of the country to design residential and office space. The Buddhist center of Hainan constantly hosts a variety of celebrations and rituals associated with this amazing culture, which attracts many adherents of religion and ordinary tourists from all over the world.

Hainan Buddhism Center is located among picturesque landscapes, against which you can meditate in silence to the sounds of a Buddhist mantra.

At the entrance to the park zone of the center, the attention of visitors is immediately attracted by " heavenly gate of non-duality”, erected in the style of the Northern and Southern dynasties.

Next you should visit Mercy Liberation Park”, which is a territory that is divided by a lake into 2 shores. It was built in the style of classical Chinese gardens, which include a reservoir, a bridge, a gazebo, inscribed in an unusually beautiful landscape.

Of course, the main object of the tour is the temple with a majestic hand-cast statue, golden goddess guanyin, the total value of which is nearly 200 million yuan. It is made of pure gold weighing 140 kilograms and decorated with large precious stones. The pedestal on which the statue is installed is made of white jade in the form of a lotus flower - a symbol of purity in Buddhist culture. Tourists really like to admire the calm and sweet face of the eight-armed goddess, holding objects in her hands, symbolizing wisdom, willpower, mercy and health.

The sculpture of the goddess Guanyin in Hainan is listed in the Guinness book and is considered the greatest Buddhist shrine, as it contains dust particles Shakyamuni Buddhas- the founder of religion, who lived in this world two and a half thousand years ago.

« longevity valley” is a favorite place for the elderly. Its main attractions are the rock hieroglyph of longevity and the family of turtles in the square, which is considered a symbol of happy old age. There is also a gallery with photographs of the oldest inhabitants of Hainan, who, thanks to good ecology, are more numerous here than in many other countries of the world.

The Longevity Park has all the conditions for complete relaxation. For this, in particular, a magnificent recreation and lunch area is provided. At the top of a small hilly clearing, where various trees grow, there are tablets with the names and names of those who planted them. It is nice to take a walk here, admiring nature.

You can move around the territory on small electric vehicles, this pleasure costs about 20 yuan.

How to get to Nianshan

Nan Shan the Center of the Buddhism is located 40 kilometers from Sanya near the Nianshan mountain. The easiest way to get here from the bays of Sanya is by taxi or as part of an excursion group. You can also take bus number 25, which passes through all the bays of Hainan and will take you for about 10 yuan.

Near the center is another attraction - the Dongshanhu Natural Zoo.

Tourists who come on an excursion to the Nianshan Buddhism Center will have a great opportunity to admire the marvelous views of the seascapes and the 108-meter Guanyin that adorns the top of the temple, as well as stroll along the beach and taste real Buddhist food in a small cafe. This is just an example of one of the options for recreation. The Buddhist center can be recommended to people of all ages, here everyone will find something interesting for them. If you have already been here, share your impressions, leave a review about visiting this attraction of Hainan!