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Guanyin of Nanshan

南山海上观音圣像
18°17′33″N 109°12′30″E / 18.2924°N 109.2083°E / 18.2924; 109.2083
Location	Sanya, Hainan, China
Type	statue
Height	108 metres (354 ft)
Opening date	2005

The Guanyin of Nanshan (Chinese: 南山海上观音圣像) is a 108-metre (354 ft) statue of the bodhisattva Guanyin, sited on the south coast of China's island province Hainan near the Nanshan Temple of Sanya.

The temple and statue are 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. The temple promotes Chinese government-approved religious practices known as "South China Sea Buddhism." The temple's religious messaging has been managed by the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department since 2018.

The statue has three aspects: one side faces inland and the other two face the South China Sea, to represent blessing and protection by Guanyin of China and the whole world. One aspect depicts Guanyin cradling a sutra in the left hand and gesturing the Vitaraka Mudra with the right; the second with her palms crossed, holding a string of prayer beads; and the third holding a lotus. As of 2023, this was the 14th tallest statue in the world.

The statue took six years to build and was enshrined on April 24, 2005, with the participation of 108 monks from various Buddhist groups in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China, and tens of thousands of pilgrims. The delegation also included monks from the Theravada and Vajrayana traditions.

See also

• Guanyin of Mount Xiqiao, Guangdong, China
• Guishan Guanyin, Hunan, China
• List of tallest statues
• Nanshan Temple (Sanya)
• Sendai Daikannon, Japan

References

1. ^ Joske, Alex (2022). "The Goddess of Mercy: Buddhism as a tool of influence". Spies and Lies: How China's Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World. Hardie Grant Books. pp. 171–185. ISBN 978-1-74358-900-7. OCLC 1347020692.
2. "Holy statue of Guanyin Buddha unveiled", Xinhua English, 2005-04-24

v t e Ministry of State Security
(MSS Headquarters: Yidongyuan, Xiyuan, Haidian District, Beijing, China)
Organization	Headquarters bureaus Confidential Communication International Intelligence Political & Economic Intelligence Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Analysis and Dissemination Operational Guidance Counterespionage Counterespionage Investigation Internal Security External Security CICIR Social Investigation Bureau CICEC CNITSEC CNNVD Technical Reconnaissance Institute of Taiwan Studies Imaging Intelligence Enterprises United States California Counterterrorism Municipal bureaus Beijing Detention Center Chongqing Shanghai Tianjin Provincial departments Anhui Fujian Gansu Guangdong Guizhou Hainan Hebei Heilongjiang Henan Hubei Hunan Jiangsu Jiangxi Jilin Liaoning Qinghai Shaanxi Shandong Shanxi Sichuan Yunnan Zhejiang Departments in autonomous regions Guangxi Inner Mongolia Ningxia Tibet Xinjiang XPCC Schools University of International Relations Hangzhou [zh] Jiangnan Social University Research institutes Nanjing Institute of Information Technology Front organizations Nanshan Temple Guanyin of Nanshan China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy China National Technical Import and Export Corporation
Ministers	Ling Yun Jia Chunwang Xu Yongyue Geng Huichang Chen Wenqing Chen Yixin
Major international operations	Chinese intelligence activity abroad Cyberwarfare by China China's peaceful rise
Notable works	State Security Bulletin Journal of Jiangnan Social University Contemporary International Relations
Activities by country	Canada United States African Union

• Outdoor sculptures in China
• Colossal Guanyin statues
• 2005 sculptures
• Shanghai State Security Bureau
• Tourist attractions in Sanya
• Buildings and structures in Sanya
• 2005 establishments in China
• Buildings and structures completed in 2005
• United front (China)