Big and Small Cave Heaven

　　Sanya’s Big and Small Cave Heaven is situated at the foot of Nanshan Mountain, approximately 40 kilometers west of Sanya City. Established in the Southern Song Dynasty (1187 AD), it is the oldest scenic spot in Hainan Province and the southernmost Taoist cultural tourism destination in China. Since ancient times, it has been renowned for its spectacular and picturesque seascapes, mountain views, rock formations, and caves, earning the title “The Foremost Scenic Wonder of Qiong Ya for Eight Hundred Years.” It has now developed into one of the first national 5A-level tourist attractions.

　　Throughout history, Big and Small Cave Heaven has been visited by many notable figures who left their marks. The eminent Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen, on his sixth attempt to sail east to Japan to spread Buddhism, was shipwrecked on his fifth try and landed at the shores of Nanshan’s Big and Small Cave Heaven, leaving behind a historic tale. At the turn of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Huang Daopo, a pioneer in the innovation of cotton textile technology in China, gathered and spun cotton in this area, and set sail from here to spread the techniques of cotton cultivation and weaving from Yazhou across the world. Bai Yuchan, the fifth patriarch of the Southern School of Taoism during the Song Dynasty, once meditated and preached here, establishing the deep connection between Big and Small Cave Heaven and Taoist culture...

　　The transcendent scenery of Big and Small Cave Heaven has also attracted countless historical and contemporary figures, who have left behind numerous poetic tributes. In 1962, Comrade Guo Moruo visited the site, wrote the poem “Visiting Aoyashan in Yazhou,” and had it engraved next to the Little Cave Heaven. On April 17, 1993, then General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission - visited the site and inscribed: “The blue sea stretches to the distant sky, and Qiong Ya is full of spring.” In January 1994, Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Buddhist Association of China, inscribed the phrase “Fortune as vast as the Eastern Sea, longevity as enduring as Nanshan” for the scenic area.

　　Leveraging its unique ecological resources, naturally formed mountain and sea landscapes, and profound historical and cultural heritage, Big and Small Cave Heaven now features six main sightseeing zones: the “Cave Heaven Blessed Land” area showcasing ancient Taoist relics and celestial traces; the “Longevity Nanshan” area highlighting long-life culture; the “South Sea Dragon King” area promoting Chinese dragon culture; the “Cliff Inscriptions” area revealing the cultural roots of ancient Yazhou; the “Mountain and Sea Wonders” area themed around coastal natural scenery; and the “Sanya Natural Museum” displaying the life forms from 140 million years ago. There are over 50 scenic spots in total. With an annual visitor count exceeding one million, Big and Small Cave Heaven is an international tourist destination that weaves together the cultural threads of ancient Yazhou, integrates traditional Chinese Taoist and dragon cultures, and combines coastal scenery, science education, folk customs, and seaside leisure.

　　Scenic Area Address: 40 kilometers west of Sanya City, Hainan Province

　　Transportation: Take bus No. 25 or No. 29 within Sanya City, and get off at the “Big and Small Cave Heaven” stop