Sanya is the southernmost city in Hainan province, China. It has an area of 1919.6 square km and a population of 536,000. After Haikou, it is the second most populous city of the island. Sanya is revered for its tropical climate and is a popular tourist destination. A 108-meter Buddhist statue of Guanyin in Sanya, completed in May 2005, is one of the tallest statues in the world.
In the last few years Sanya developed to become a get away from Hong Kong and a relaxing place for extending a holiday with a long trip back home. The first international Resort hotel was opened and managed by Swiss hotelier N.C. Solari in 1999, in the beautiful location of Yalong Bay. Nowadays, several international hotel chains have established in what is becoming a world-known destination, especially since the famous beauty pageant Miss World took place in Crowne Plaza, one of the Hotels along Yalong bay. Another attraction was the Butterfly museum and the shell aquarium.