Tianya Haijiao (tiān yá hǎi jiǎo 天涯海角) is located at the foot of the Maling Mountain (mǎ lǐng shān 马岭山) in Sanya City (sān yà shì 三亚市) of Hainan Province (hǎi nán shěng 海南省). In Tianya Haijiao, the sky and the sea merged into one, the mists and waves stretch far into the distance, dotted with sailing boats on the sea. The waving coconut palm and the bizarre stone makes Tianya Haijiao poetic and picturesque.

  
In ancient China, Tianya Haijiao is the penal colony for it is a desolate land far away from the capital. However, nowadays Tianya Haijiao can represent beauty and romance. It is a vast beach facing the South China Sea. On the beach, erect numerous huge rocks. sitting on one of the rocks, you will see a boundless sea meeting the blue sky in the faraway horizontal. It seems that you are at the ends of the earth.

On the beach of Tianya Haijiao there is a giant rock, on which there are two Chinese characters "天涯"(tiān yá) means the edge of the sky carved by the magistrate of Yazhou (yá zhōu 崖州) during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng (yōng zhèng 雍正) of Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝). In 1938, the commander of Qiongya (qióng yá 琼崖) carved two Chinese characters “海角"(hǎi jiǎo) means the end of the sea on another huge rock. By then, this place is a well known tourist attraction in China.

There is a romantic story about these two stones. In ancient times, two young lovers eloped when their parents disapproved of their marriage. Facing the sea, they had no escape. They were so sad that they just held each other as they jumped into the sea. Suddenly, there was a thunderstorm. They were hit by lightning and changed into two stones. Now people regard these two stones as symbols of eternal and faithful love. Therefore, many young lovers choose this place for their wedding ceremony.

On the left of the two rocks there is a rock in cone shape. The word on it reads “Column of Southern Sky”(nán tiān yī zhù 南天一柱), which indicated that here is the southern end of the land of China. When the waves hit the “Column of Southern Sky”, it gives a peal of thunder.

Tianya Haijiao is a heaven for people who are head over heals in love, and also an ideal place for people who are deeply in love with the sea. You will definitely have fond memories after visiting this scenic spot.

Tianya Haijiao
Location: at the foot of Maling Mountain, 26 kilometers from Sanya City
Admission fee: CNY 60
Opening hours: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Transportation: you can take bus No. 2 and 4 in Sanya to the terminus and then take the tourist bus to get there.
Attractions nearby: Yalong Bay, Wuzhizhou Island, Dadonghai