The temple was built at the foot of the Southern Mountain in 1998, the year when China celebrated the 2000th anniversary of the spread of Buddhism at the state level. It was this temple that gave the name to the Nanshan Buddhist Center, and with the construction of this temple, the center began to develop. The Nanshan Temple, with an area of 40 thousand square meters, is the largest in China. The complex consists of several buildings. The main hall is located at the top of the hill. There are three main Buddha images in this hall: Shakyamuni, Bhaishajyaguru (Chinese Yaoshiwan) and Amitabha (Chinese Amito). In front of the Nanshan Temple there is a terrace with a magnificent view of the South China Sea and the 108-meter statue of the goddess of mercy, Guanyin...

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Екатерина

Level 16 Local Expert

I continue to write reviews about the key points of Hainan Island. One of the most famous is the Nanshan Buddhist complex with a statue of the goddess Guanyin 🏯 To be honest, this place left me with two impressions. On the one hand, the scale is amazing: a 108–meter statue that entered the Guinness Book of World Records for investments (one gold statue with African diamonds is worth something inside), three conceptual temples, a sea of incense, a park, as an entire infrastructure. While visiting all the places of the complex, my husband and I exceeded the norm of steps and cardio per day – there are too many steps . 😅 On the other hand, there is almost no sense of spirituality. Everything looks more like a beautiful tourist showcase than a temple. The thing is that the Nanshan complex was created in the 90s as a state project – a tourist and ideological one. His goal was to show "the harmony, spirituality and wealth of China." That's why the place is a tourist destination – with a paid entrance, huge souvenir shops, food courts, QR codes for donations that can be tracked live, alcohol and cigarettes are accepted as offerings, and many other jokes. Many scientists, tourists, and Buddhists themselves criticize Nanshan for commercializing religion – when sacred symbols are turned into a tool for income and image. Although, not only in southern Buddhism, religiosity is adjacent to business and government interests. An interesting paradox: there are no gods in Buddhism, but people still come to the statue, pray and ask for earthly things. This is not the Buddhism I imagined at all. But there are several ideas close to me in the Buddha's teaching itself: 🪷 There is no creator god in Buddhism, therefore it is more of a philosophy than a religion. Observing the basic tenets of the teaching, everyone is looking for their own path, which explains many Buddhist schools.; That you are the only one responsible for your life, not the "higher powers"; Karma and rebirth are not punishment, but the natural logic of consequences. After Hainan, it became especially interesting for me to see Buddhism in other forms — for example, in Tibet (where the northern school prevails) or in Japan, where temples are much more ascetic and focused on inner practice. Where is the place for silence, awareness and meaning🧘🏻♀️

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Дмитрий Попов

Level 9 Local Expert

Of course, you should visit! A huge territory with several temples. There are a lot of people inside the main one (which is in the photo). The interior is impressive (in general, it is unusual for an Orthodox person to be inside a shrine of another religion).

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Буддистский храм Наньшань

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