Nanshan Temple (Sanya)

On top of the temple, which stands on an artificial islet, is a white steel statue of Guan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy.

[citation needed] The temple is owned and operated by two front groups of the Shanghai State Security Bureau, a branch of the Ministry of State Security, as a way to exert ideological control and influence over the southeast Asian Buddhist community and counter the influence of Indian Buddhism.

"[3] The temple's religious messaging has been managed by the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department since 2018.

[3] The Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone is a large Buddhist complex located 40 km west of Sanya.

Hainan is the only province in China to explicitly be identified by the Chinese authorities for the development of tourism as a mainstay industry.