Get to know Tianya District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Sanya
- Chinese name
- 天涯区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 946.79 km²
- Population · 2013
- 250,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
People's Daily Overseas Edition describes a district of mountains, hills, river valleys, plains, coastal sand bars and lagoons. The Gaofeng (高峰) uplands in the north are called Sanya's "green lung", and the coral reefs around East and West islands belong to a national nature reserve. Sanya Bay (三亚湾), 22 km long, is a national tourist resort with a palm-lined beach, squares and seaside parks.
History and people
The State Council approved Sanya's reorganisation into four districts on 25 January 2014, and Tianya District was formally inaugurated on 2 January 2015. It takes its name from the former Tianya town, though its urban core grew around Yanglan (羊栏) in former Fenghuang (凤凰) town. The Huihui (回辉) and Huixin (回新) communities there are home to the Huihui people (回辉人), China's only Malayo-Sumbawan-speaking group and its only Austronesian Muslim people, officially classed as Hui.
What to see
Tianya Haijiao (天涯海角), a seaside scenic area 24 km west of central Sanya, is known for two boulders at the foot of Maling Hill (马岭山) carved "Tianya" ("edge of the sky") and "Haijiao" ("corner of the sea"). The "Tianya" inscription, by Cheng Zhe (程哲), prefect of Yazhou (崖州), dates from 1733; the "Nantian Yizhu" (南天一柱, "pillar of the southern sky") rock to the east bears an inscription of 1909; and "Haijiao" was carved in 1939. The carvings became a Hainan provincial protected site in 2009. West Island (西岛) lies 8 nautical miles offshore; its fishing village is more than 400 years old, and the story of its "eight sisters" standing guard there spread across China in the 1970s with the film Haixia (海霞). Wenmen village (文门村) is known as a "thousand-year-old village".
Food and crafts
People's Daily Overseas Edition points to snacks on Qunzhong Street (群众街), beef-bone soup in Huihui village, fried chicken from Nanbianhai (南边海) and Tanka (疍家) barbecue. Heitu village (黑土村) keeps a Li pottery tradition, and Baolong village (抱龙村) Miao embroidery and Li brocade.
Highlights
- Tianya Haijiao 天涯海角: Boulders carved "Tianya" and "Haijiao", with inscriptions from 1733, 1909 and 1939; a provincial protected site since 2009.
- West Island 西岛: Island 8 nautical miles offshore with a fishing village over 400 years old.
- Sanya Bay 三亚湾: A 22 km bay listed as a national tourist resort.
- Huihui and Huixin communities 回辉 / 回新: Home of the Austronesian-speaking Muslim Huihui people; known for beef-bone soup.
Sources for this guide
区情_天涯区人民政府 · Tianya District People's Government, Sanya
天涯综治中心打造自贸港平安建设样板 · Legal Daily
一个充满诗意的地方 · People's Daily Overseas Edition
天涯区 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
天涯海角 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
三亚湾 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Tianya District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Tianya District
A paved clifftop overlook edged with oleander bushes, looking past a rope railing to a rocky headland carrying a small pavilion and three tall carved timber masts, with open sea and a pale sky behind.West Island西岛
West Island lies offshore from Sanya Bay and combines a visitor recreation area with a traditional fishing village. Some older village houses use coral stone, creating a built texture quite different from Sanya’s mainland resort…
Read the place guide →
Sanya Bay · 三亚湾沿岸Sanya Bay三亚湾
Sanya Bay is the long western waterfront of the city, best known for its palm-lined Coconut Dream Corridor and evening sea views. It is a useful choice for travellers who want a coastal walk with access to central Sanya or the…
Read the place guide →
Tianya Haijiao · 天涯海角Tianya Haijiao天涯海角
Tianya Haijiao turns a stretch of granite-strewn coast into one of Sanya’s best-known cultural landscapes. The inscribed Tianya and Haijiao rocks carry the poetic idea of the far edge of the world, while other carvings add…
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Tianya District covers the centre of Sanya. Search for 天涯区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
West Island and Sanya Bay are about 9 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Sanya →More in Sanya
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory (dmfw.mca.gov.cn) · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 天涯区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 天涯海角 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 三亚湾 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: West Island · chp13579753 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Sanya Bay · Zhangmoon618 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and WebP compressed; subject not altered.
Photo: Tianya Haijiao · N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.