Scenic Area Layout
Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area is distributed in a belt shape along the coast, divided into five functional areas from east to west, with a total tourist route of about 4 kilometers.
Entrance Plaza and Historical Celebrity Sculpture Garden
The main entrance is on the east side, covering an area of about 12,000 square meters. At the entrance stands the 'Tianya Haijiao' memorial archway, a four-pillar, three-bay, three-story structure, 12 meters high and 18 meters wide, built with local Hainan granite. After entering, you will find the Historical Celebrity Sculpture Garden, covering about 30,000 square meters, displaying bronze statues of five Tang and Song exiled officials: Li Deyu, Su Shi, Hu Quan, Zhao Ding, and Li Gang, as well as statues of Ming Dynasty navigator Zheng He and Qing Dynasty official Cheng Zhe. Each statue is about 3.5 meters high, with the base inscribed with the person's life and deeds in Qiong (Hainan), serving as an important guide area for understanding exile culture.
Tianya Culture Garden
Located on the north side of the middle of the scenic area, with a building area of about 2,000 square meters, it is a modern pseudo-classical building. Inside, there is a themed exhibition 'Tianya Complex', which systematically sorts out the evolution of 'Tianya Haijiao' from a literary concept to a physical landscape through exhibits such as rubbings of poems and inscriptions from past dynasties, replicas of exile cultural relics, and historical maps. Key exhibits include a photocopy of the record of the 'Tianya' stone inscription in the 'Yazhou Chronicle' from the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, and a rubbing of Su Shi's poem 'Dan'er' manuscript. The Culture Garden also has a multimedia interactive area where visitors can watch a 360-degree ring-screen film 'The Road to Tianya', lasting about 15 minutes.
Core Area of Cliff Stone Inscriptions
This is the soul of the scenic area, located in the middle of the coastline, consisting of three groups of giant granite rocks, covering a total area of about 5,000 square meters.
- 'Tianya' Stone Inscription: Located slightly west of the center of the scenic area, the rock is about 10 meters high, 8 meters wide, and 6 meters thick, in an irregular ellipsoid shape. The inscription is on the southwest side of the rock, about 3 meters above the ground, with the characters 'Tianya' in regular script, each 60 cm by 55 cm, with the signature 'Yongzheng 5th year, Dingwei, Cheng Zhe'. This rock is the largest and oldest cliff stone inscription in the scenic area.
- 'Haijiao' Stone Inscription: Located about 20 meters southwest of the 'Tianya' rock, the rock is about 7 meters high and 5 meters wide. The inscription is on the southeast side of the rock, about 2.5 meters above the ground, with the characters 'Haijiao' in running script, each 45 cm by 40 cm, with the signature '27th year of the Republic of China, winter, Wang Yi'. The two rocks are connected by natural reefs, which can be walked across at low tide.
- 'Nantian Yizhu' Stone Inscription: Located about 50 meters northeast of the 'Tianya' rock, the rock is about 12 meters high, 4 meters wide, and 3 meters thick, in an upright columnar shape. The inscription is on the east side of the rock, about 4 meters above the ground, with the four characters 'Nantian Yizhu' in regular script, arranged vertically, each about 50 centimeters in diameter, with the signature 'Xuantong 1st year, Fan Yunti'. This rock, shaped like a giant pillar holding up the sky, forms a triangular layout with 'Tianya' and 'Haijiao', making it the most visually striking landscape in the scenic area.
All three groups of stone inscriptions use intaglio carving, with a groove depth of about 1-2 centimeters. Despite nearly three hundred years of sea wind erosion, the characters remain clearly legible. Protective railings are set up around the inscriptions, and visitors can view and take photos from a viewing platform 5 meters away.
Coastal Leisure Belt
Extending about 2 kilometers west from the core area, this is a coastline alternating between sandy beaches and reefs. The beach is about 30-50 meters wide, with sand composed of quartz sand and coral debris, appearing light yellow. Along the coast, there are small pictographic reef groups such as 'Sun and Moon Rock' and 'Love Rock', as well as modern service facilities like 'Tianya Post Office' and 'Tianya Bookstore'. At the end of the leisure belt is the 'Tianya Wharf', where visitors can take a boat out to sea to view the entire scenic area.
Western Ecological Area
The westernmost part of the scenic area retains about 1.5 square kilometers of native tropical coastal vegetation, mainly including mangroves, pandanus, cactus, and sea mango. This area has a wooden boardwalk of about 800 meters for visitors to experience the primitive coastal ecology. The boardwalk ends at the 'Sea Viewing Platform', about 15 meters above sea level, offering a panoramic view of the entire Tianya Haijiao coastline.
