Facts
Phone Code: 0898
Postal Code: 572000
Area: 1,919.58 square kilometers (741 square miles)
Population: 685,408 (statistics in 2010)
Nationalities: The main nationalities are Han, Li, Miao and Hui, of whom minorities makes up 41.5% of the total.
Neighboring Areas: Guangdong Province
Location: Sanya is located at the south end of Hainan province between latitudes 18°09′34″~18°37′27″N, and longitudes 108°56′30″~109°48′28″E.
Physical Features: It is surrounded on three sides by mountains. The ground slopes down to the sea from north to south. It has coastline of 209.1 kilometers (about 130 miles), along which there are 19 bays and ports. In addition, the city includes 40 small islands, among which the biggest one is West Maozhou Island with an area of 2.12 square kilometers (0.8 square miles).
 |
| Sanya Maps |
History: Sanya has also been called 'the End of the Earth' from ancient times, since it is far away from the capital city and isolated at the coastal area. It was established as a county named Ya Zhou in the reign of Emperor Qin Shihuang. Buddhist monk Jianzhen and Prime Minister Han Yuan of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), Huang Daopo of the textile Industry and Prime Minister Zhao Ding once lived here and made a great contribution to local development. It was upgraded to a regional level city by the State Department in 1987.
Attractions: As a famous seashore tourist city, Sanya is rich in natural and tourism resources. With bright sunshine, blue water, sandy beaches, good vegetation and clean air, it is reputed to be the 'Hawaii of the Orient', as well as the most popular tourist destination in China. The Yalong Bay (Asian Dragon Bay), Dadonghai and Sanya Bay, as three major bays in the city, provide tourists with beautiful tropical oceanic scenery. Tianya Haijiao (literally 'edge of the sky, rim of the sea') where on the beach stands a giant stone with a touching story, has long been regarded as the most romantic place in China for lovers. In addition, visitors can also enjoy themselves on Nanwan Monkey Island and Wuzhizhou Island, where tourist facilities are well-developed. Nanshan Temple is worth visiting as well, a highlight included is the statue of the South China Sea Kwan-yin Bodhisattva.
Transportation: As a business center and the transportation hub in south Hainan Province, there are flights and ships to major cities of China and foreign countries. Demarcated by the Sanya River, the east part of the city is the business and tourism center, where the bus terminal, main bus stations, railway station and Sanya port are located. Public transportation in the inner city mainly depends on city buses and taxis.
Air: Sanya Phoenix International Airport operates domestic flights to 23 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen and 9 international flights to destinations like Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. Visitors can take either taxi or shuttle bus from the city center to and from the airport. There are also through buses to Sanya Bay and Dadonghai from the airport.
Train: Sanya New Railway Station is located in Lizhi Gou in the suburb of the city. There are trains to Haikou, the capital city of Hainan on the north end of the island and to other cities in mainland China, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, via Qiongzhou Strait.
Bus: Sanya Bus Station is located in Jiefang Erlu. There are long-distance buses to other provinces, such as Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hunan. Buses to Haikou leave every 20 minutes.
Taxi: Traveling in the city by taxi is convenient and inexpensive. Taxi fare is RMB 5 for the first 2 km (1.2 miles), and RMB2 per extra km for the remaining journey.
Weather: Under the control of tropical oceanic monsoons, the city has warm weather all the year round. Rain comes from June to October. The peak season to the city is from October to April.
Dining and Shopping
Seafood is the first choice for travelers since it is close to fishing grounds. And it is said that the fishing grounds here are the only ones in China that have not been polluted. Abalone, sea cucumber and sea hedgehog are regarded as Three Treasures of the city. Some Hainan dishes that can also be found in this city are Teng Qiao Pai Gu (Deep Fried Spare Ribs), Lin Gao Ru Zhu (Lingao Roast Suckling Pig), Wenchang Ji (Wenchang Chicken), Hainan Fen (Rice Noodles), and Yezi Fan (Coconut Rice).
With development of the tourism industry, Sanya has many shopping centers now. Various local products can be found near scenic spots and main streets in the city, such as Jiefang Road and Hongqi Street. Popular souvenirs for visitors are seafood and local fruits, handicrafts made of shells or trumpet shells, pearl products, crystal products, locally designed clothing and goods, pretty decorations and handicrafts of the Li, Miao and Hui nationalities.
