When the Chinese believed their empire encompassed all creation beneath a circular heaven and bounded by a square earth, the southern tip of Sanya must have truly felt like the far end of the world.

Aside from the stunning natural beauty of this sandy cape dotted with gargantuan boulders, Tianya Haijiao (Tiānyá Hǎijiǎo, 天涯海角) holds great cultural significance. During the Song Dynasty, the south of Hainan Island was a place of exile for officials and poets who had offended the Emperor, hence the name, which means "the ends of the heavens and corner of the sea."

Their isolation and despair is recorded in the annals of Chinese history and on a number of the elephantine stones at Tianya Haijiao, where poems and proverbs are carved alongside a myth about a pair of lovers who were transformed into stone when their families forbade them to marry.

Elsewhere, you'll find another pair of stones that, legend has it, were once benevolent fairies turned to stone by the God of Thunder acting on orders from the jealous Heavenly Goddess as punishment for protecting a mortal fisherman from the sea. 

The romance and beauty of the place guarantees that every day sees scores of betrothed Chinese couples come to pose for wedding photos at Tianya Haijiao, including against the scene on the back of the rarely circulated RMB 2 bank note.

Note that the site's popularity makes solitary beach walks highly unlikely, but if you don't mind a bit of high-spirited company, the RMB 65 scenic area fee is well worth it.

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