Sanya Mazu Temple

Sanya Mazu Temple

The Sanya Mazu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Mazu Temple is located on Wuzhizhou Island and is one of the oldest temples in Hainan. Fishermen devoutly worship Mazu, the goddess who protects seafarers, and she is believed to have watched over their safety through generations. In the quaint and colorful temple hall, light a stick of incense, make a silent wish, and reminisce about the distant past. It is said that the temple was also dedicated to Cangjie, the creator of Chinese characters. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the nunnery was left unattended, and the fishermen, not knowing which deity was enshrined, tore it down and rebuilt it as a shrine for Mazu, the goddess who protects seafarers. The original temple had long collapsed and fallen into disrepair, but in 1993, developers during the island’s construction reconstructed it.

Legends of the Mazu Temple:

Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, a Taoist priest named Wu Huacun traveled across the islands of Hainan in search of a place for alchemy and self-cultivation. He eventually set his sights on the feng shui of Wuzhizhou Island and wanted to claim the island to build a hut and live there. The then magistrate of Yazhou learned of this and also came to the island. Indeed, he found the scenery and feng shui of the small island to be excellent and believed that such a precious piece of land should not belong to an individual but should benefit the public. Therefore, he stopped Priest Wu’s actions and, through funding from the local government, built a nunnery on the island in 1898, naming it “Haishang Han San Guan” (Sea View of Three Teachings).

Address: Within Sanya Wuzhizhou Island Resort Center, Wuzhizhou Island, Haitang Bay Town, Haitang District, Sanya City

Type: Historical Site / Temple

Recommended Visiting Time: About 1 hour

Phone: 4001146666

Opening Hours:

8:30-17:00

Ticket Information:

Free entry. The Mazu Temple is located on Wuzhizhou Island, and no separate ticket is required.

Transportation

After arriving on the island, you can walk or take an electric cart to reach the temple.

How to get to Wuzhizhou Island:

Bus:

Bus Route 28: Sanya Bus Terminal (Back Gate) – Wuzhizhou Island Ferry Terminal. Full fare is 12 RMB. Buses run every 30 minutes, and the journey takes about 50 minutes.

Taxi:

Visitors can take a taxi to the Wuzhizhou Ferry Terminal. One-way fare from downtown Sanya to the terminal is about 80 RMB; from Yalong Bay area to the terminal is about 50 RMB; for a round-trip chartered car (Sanya to Wuzhizhou Island), the price is about 150–200 RMB.

Self-driving / Car Rental:

Haikou to Wuzhizhou Island: Take the East Expressway → Haitang Bay Expressway Exit → follow signs for "Wuzhizhou Island" → about 10 minutes to Wuzhizhou Ferry Terminal → take a 15-minute luxury cruise to the island.

Sanya to Wuzhizhou Island: Take TianDu – Yalong Bay fork road → East Expressway (National Highway 223) → (after passing the former Qingtian Village intersection, go forward about 10 minutes) → turn right at roadside sign “Wuzhizhou Island” → about 10 minutes to Wuzhizhou Ferry Terminal → take a 15-minute luxury cruise to the island.

Lin Mo, also known as Mo Niang, was affectionately called “Auntie,” “Niangma,” or “Mazu” by the people. She was from Putian.

She was born on March 23 of the first year of the Jianlong era in the Song Dynasty (960 AD) into an official family on Meizhou Isle, Putian County. From birth until she was one month old, she never cried, hence she was named “Mo” (meaning silence), also called “Mo Niang.” Her great-grandfather, Baoji, served in the Zhou Dynasty as a commanding general but later resigned from office and lived in seclusion on Meizhou. Her grandfather, Fu, inherited the family’s military merits and served as the Fujian Provincial Commander. Her father, Yuan, held the position of Fujian Patrol Inspector in the early Song Dynasty. Mo Niang was exceptionally intelligent; at the age of 8, while studying with a tutor, she could already understand the gist of the texts. As she grew older, she loved chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha. She... More details about Lin Mo ++