Taoist temple complex Dong Tian (Heavenly Grottoes, Wonders of the Sea and Mountains Park). Taoist Park Heavenly Grottoes Nanshan Buddhist Center
The fame of the temple is explained by the fact that, according to ancient Taoist beliefs, it is in these places that the Southern Dragon, one of the 4 lords of the world, lives. Thanks to this addition, the Dong Tian temple complex is popular not only with ordinary tourists, but also with followers of this religion who come here to worship this sacred creature. The guides know many other interesting legends and traditions associated with this place.
The importance of the temple for China is confirmed by the fact that in the early 90s of the last century, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China, Jiang Zemin, visited the Dong Tian Temple. This was the only landmark of Sanya that he paid attention to during his visit to the region. By the way, one of the picturesque stones in the park contains the inscription that Jiang Zemin left on it.
The beautiful Taoist temples of Dong Tian are perfectly integrated into the marvelous seascapes with stone hummocks. Next to them there is a forest with rich tropical vegetation, among which stands out a unique relict plant - the “dragon” palm (dracaena cambodiana), which has been growing in these places for 6,000 years and is a symbol of long-livers in China. An excursion to Dong Tian will appeal to all lovers of Chinese architecture and outdoor recreation.
How to get to Dong Tian in Hainan
Dong Tian is located 35 kilometers from the city of Sanya. You can get here by bus No. 25, by taxi or with a tour group.
If you have already been here, leave a review about Dong Tian!
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Taoist Park Heavenly Grottoes(Sanya, China): detailed description, address and photo. Opportunities for sports and recreation, infrastructure, cafes and restaurants in the park. Reviews of tourists.
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This Taoist park is located about 50 km from Sanya, at the foot of the South Mountain, and covers an area of 23 square meters. km. It was founded back in 1187 during the Song Dynasty. Thus, the park can be called the oldest attraction in Hainan. It is famous for its stunning natural scenery, environmental resources and historical sites.
Associated with the name of the park interesting story. According to Taoist beliefs, there are 10 large and 36 small grottoes (Dongtian), as well as 72 sacred caves in which the gods live. During the Song Dynasty, Mao Kun, the governor of Hainan Province, found Greater Dongtian and Little Dongtian on the South Mountain. He turned the place into a resort and inscribed inscriptions on the cliff and rocks. Today, only Little Dongtian remains under the cliff: the Big one is impossible to find, and this makes it even more legendary. True, the names Big and Small Dongtian are still used.
The Taoist Park consists of six areas: Dongtian Grottoes, South Longevity Mountain, South China Sea Dragon King Temple, Record Wall, Marine Wonders and Sanya Natural History Museum.
The Taoist Park consists of six areas: Dongtian Grottoes, South Longevity Mountain, South China Sea Dragon King Temple, Record Wall, Marine Wonders and Sanya Natural History Museum. In total, the park has more than 50 attractions, and tourists from all over the world come here to get acquainted with local customs, relax and have fun.
The Dongtian Heavenly Grottoes, according to legend, are the very place from which Mao Kun ascended to heaven. Three fabulous islands are especially popular: Panglai, Yungzhou and Fanzang. This is the birthplace of Taoism in Southern China, and many historical Taoist relics can be seen here, including the Heavenly Imprint and the Heavenly Altar.
The Southern Longevity Mountain deserves its name: it is 85% green and contains more negative ions than anywhere else in China. Even more surprising are the 30,000 dracaenas, which are called “longevity pines” here: this plant of the agave family is one of the rarest centenarians in the world, its age can reach, according to some sources, 10 thousand years.
In the Temple of the Dragon King of the South China Sea, a statue of that same king is kept. In Chinese culture, the dragon king brings stability and good fortune. The second lunar day of February is considered the day when the dragon raises its head. During this holiday, magnificent traditional celebrations are held in the park and prayers are offered to the king and the sea.
The Wall of Records is located on top of South Mountain, sometimes called Divine Turtle Mountain because of its characteristic shape. There is a corresponding statue here. The inscriptions speak of Kuixing, the god of writing, who was often depicted standing on the back of a sea turtle. It is believed that this deity honors one who is famous for his talents in the field of writing.
The Sanya Natural History Museum is the only one in southern China. The remains of dinosaurs and objects that recreate the appearance of the Earth as it was 140 million years ago are collected here. In total, the exhibition contains about 2 thousand items, of which 800 are considered national treasures. In particular, the western Liaoning fossil collection was called "the most amazing discovery of the 20th century" by US President Bill Clinton.
In addition to the six zones mentioned, the park has a conservation area of the Little Crescent Bay. In this small bay, many plants have been preserved, and the concentration of cations here reaches 10 thousand per cubic centimeter: this is a real natural oxygen bar. There are also the usual beach bars, as well as huts and tent camps where you can stay for a few days.
Practical information
To get to the Taoist Park, you can either take a tourist bus directly here from Sanya Bay, or take a bus to South Mountain from Sanya West Station, get off at the road junction leading into the park, and walk from there. Free shuttles to the park depart in the summer months in the morning, once a day, from the Summer Department Store and Pearl Square.
Opening hours: daily, from 8:30 to 18:30.
Admission: 135 CNY for adults, 70 CNY for children height 120-140 cm, children up to 120 cm height free admission; trip by electric car - 15 CNY.
Prices on the page are as of September 2018.
40 kilometers from the city of Sanya, on the other side of the mountain, where the Nanshan temple complex is located, there is another beautiful Hainan park - Dong Tian. Translated from Chinese, “Dong Tian” means “heavenly grottoes”, this term in Taoism refers to the caves where immortal saints live.
The Dong Tien Taoist Center is one of the island's most visited attractions. Various festive and festive events are often held here, cultural, political and public figures come here, as evidenced by photographs along the main entrance alley.
And we immediately encounter a warning sign.
Everywhere is very clean and beautiful. Grow grass :)
I would like to say one thing right away interesting place park - Archaeological Museum history of natural history. The extensive exposition of the museum deserves close attention, it contains more than 2 thousand exhibits, among which are unique objects protected by UNESCO: fossil dinosaur eggs, the skeleton of a huge ichthyosaur, the first fossil flower, the skeleton of a Sanyang pterosaur, an ancient ebony.
The park is located on a mountain slope and a rocky seashore. Huge boulders and small stones give an indescribable charm to the beauty of the sea.
The graceful decorations of the park are stone sculptures: real and mythical animals, wise elders.
A forest spirit peeks out from a huge stump.
From the central square there is a wide staircase leading up to the sculptures of Buddhist monks. The staircase is framed by fragrant hibiscus bushes, in which exotic butterflies flutter from flower to flower. And flocks of snow-white doves live on the palm trees.
At the foot of the stairs is a family of turtles.
Some young ladies shared their hats with the turtles
Many stones are carved with hieroglyphs with wise sayings.
We make our way along a path surrounded by tall grass.
There are benches hidden in the mangrove thickets next to the path.
The path leads us to the beach.
And grottoes.
Essentially, a grotto is a small gap under a rock that you can slip through and come out on the other side of the rock.
Despite the narrowness of the space, incense is smoked inside the grotto. We climb out of the grotto along the ladder :)
Walking along the sea, we reach other grottoes
We find phrases carved on the rocks: small and large.
Some stones that resemble something or someone are overgrown with legends and traditions. For example, the Magic Peach stone. According to legend, the Empress of Heaven Wang Mu gave a magical peach to the Eight Immortals. But half of the peach was stolen and eaten by a magic cow, and the other half of the peach was left by the Immortals on the shore. And after thousands of years the peach turned to stone.
Or Jian Zhen's stone. According to legend, the monk Jian Zhen often bathed and basked in the sun here. Much time has passed since then, and a stone similar to the sunbathing Jian Zhen appeared here.
We go to the farthest point of the park along the picturesque rocks, along the seashore.
Bas-reliefs on the rocks depict sages and divine characters.
Stone carving "Lao Tzu looks at the sea". Lao Tzu, one of the greatest ancient Chinese philosophers, founder of the teachings of Taoism.
Southern God of Longevity.
Let's go back a little and go to the Dragon Temple. According to legend, it is here, in Dong Tian Park, that the giant Dragon of the Southern Sea lives.
By the way, here at the Dragon Temple I was able to observe and film the scene of a snake hunting a frog, but more on that in the following posts.
From the Dragon Temple, a path rises up the mountain, or rather a huge staircase, completely endless.
Along the way you come across hanging bridges and sayings immortalized on stone.
Climbing the stairs, we pass by gazebos.
A tree hugging a stone.
Quite unexpectedly, the path leads us to the Immortal Turtle South Sea. Beautiful and unusual, made of copper, and weighing 1.5 tons, the Turtle is also a sacred symbol.
There are incense in the square in front of her, and red ribbons with wishes are tied nearby.
And the staircase leads us up and up, never ending. But everywhere there are carefully placed warning signs with wonderful Russian translations.
From the top there is a beautiful view of the sea.
To be honest, we didn’t get to the very top platform, it was already getting dark, and the park was going to close soon, so we went down.
We enjoy the empty paths of the park and the coolness of the evening.
Finally, a clickable panorama.
40 kilometers from the city of Sanya, on the other side of the mountain, where the Nanshan temple complex is located, there is another beautiful Hainan park - Dong Tian. Translated from Chinese, “Dong Tian” means “heavenly grottoes”, this term in Taoism refers to the caves where immortal saints live.
The Dong Tien Taoist Center is one of the island's most visited attractions. Various festive and festive events are often held here, cultural, political and public figures come here, as evidenced by photographs along the main entrance alley.
And we immediately encounter a warning sign.
Everywhere is very clean and beautiful. Grow grass :)
I would immediately like to say about one very interesting place in the park - the archaeological Museum of Natural History. The extensive exhibition of the museum deserves close attention; it contains more than 2 thousand exhibits, among which are unique objects protected by UNESCO: fossil dinosaur eggs, the skeleton of a huge ichthyosaur, the first fossil flower, the skeleton of a Sanyang pterosaur, an ancient ebony tree.
The park is located on a mountain slope and a rocky seashore. Huge boulders and small stones give an indescribable charm to the beauty of the sea.
The graceful decorations of the park are stone sculptures: real and mythical animals, wise elders.
A forest spirit peeks out from a huge stump.
From the central square there is a wide staircase leading up to the sculptures of Buddhist monks. The staircase is framed by fragrant hibiscus bushes, in which exotic butterflies flutter from flower to flower. And flocks of snow-white doves live on the palm trees.
At the foot of the stairs is a family of turtles.
Some young ladies shared their hats with the turtles
Many stones are carved with hieroglyphs with wise sayings.
We make our way along a path surrounded by tall grass.
There are benches hidden in the mangrove thickets next to the path.
The path leads us to the beach.
And grottoes.
Essentially, a grotto is a small gap under a rock that you can slip through and come out on the other side of the rock.
Despite the narrowness of the space, incense is smoked inside the grotto. We climb out of the grotto along the ladder :)
Walking along the sea, we reach other grottoes
We find phrases carved on the rocks: small and large.
Some stones that resemble something or someone are overgrown with legends and traditions. For example, the Magic Peach stone. According to legend, the Empress of Heaven Wang Mu gave a magical peach to the Eight Immortals. But half of the peach was stolen and eaten by a magic cow, and the other half of the peach was left by the Immortals on the shore. And after thousands of years the peach turned to stone.
Or Jian Zhen's stone. According to legend, the monk Jian Zhen often bathed and basked in the sun here. Much time has passed since then, and a stone similar to the sunbathing Jian Zhen appeared here.
We go to the farthest point of the park along the picturesque rocks, along the seashore.
Bas-reliefs on the rocks depict sages and divine characters.
Stone carving "Lao Tzu looks at the sea". Lao Tzu, one of the greatest ancient Chinese philosophers, founder of the teachings of Taoism.
Southern God of Longevity.
Let's go back a little and go to the Dragon Temple. According to legend, it is here, in Dong Tian Park, that the giant Dragon of the Southern Sea lives.
By the way, here at the Dragon Temple I was able to observe and film the scene of a snake hunting a frog, but more on that in the following posts.
From the Dragon Temple, a path rises up the mountain, or rather a huge staircase, completely endless.
Along the way you come across hanging bridges and sayings immortalized on stone.
Climbing the stairs, we pass by gazebos.
A tree hugging a stone.
Quite unexpectedly, the trail leads us to the Immortal Turtle of the South Sea. Beautiful and unusual, made of copper, and weighing 1.5 tons, the Turtle is also a sacred symbol.
There are incense in the square in front of her, and red ribbons with wishes are tied nearby.
And the staircase leads us up and up, never ending. But everywhere there are carefully placed warning signs with wonderful Russian translations.
From the top there is a beautiful view of the sea.
To be honest, we didn’t get to the very top platform, it was already getting dark, and the park was going to close soon, so we went down.
We enjoy the empty paths of the park and the coolness of the evening.
Finally, a clickable panorama.
The Taoist temple complex is located in the southwest of Nanshan Mountain and is considered one of the most ancient structures of its kind in China: it was founded in 1247 during the reign of the imperial Song dynasty. This place is sacred to all Chinese followers of Taoism - one of the most revered religions in China. According to legend, this is where the Southern Dragon, one of the four rulers of the world, lives.
Followers of Taoism come here to worship him and ask for help in the temple built in his honor. Fishermen especially often turn to him about sending down a good catch and salvation in the waters of the sea. Many legends are associated with this place.
Dong Tian is located on the picturesque seashore and is rightfully considered the first tourist zone of the Celestial Empire - the landscapes here are so beautiful! It is not for nothing that the Chinese themselves call this place “Wonders of the Sea and Mountains”: the Heavenly Grottoes Park with bizarre caves and piles of stones, majestic mountains and caves - this is truly an ideal place for a happy life: it is no secret that there are a lot of centenarians on Hainan Island. The pine dracaena cambodiana, a relict tree endemic to the island, has become a symbol of longevity in China. You will see such a pine tree at the age of 6 thousand years on the territory of the temple complex. 30 thousand pines of this rare species grow here.
Visit the Taoist Park “Heavenly Grottoes”, stroll through the shady park of pine trees and along the picturesque beach of the sea, and philosophize. It’s not for nothing that the name of this place in Chinese sounds like “Happy Place Where the Gods Live”!