Located at the southern tip of Hainan Province, Sanya is a paradise for photographers and water sport lovers.

At dusk, the city transforms into a city of lights. As the sun sets in hues of blue and orange, fluorescent and neon lights of buildings and streets come on. From Sanya Bay to the artificial Phoenix Island to the Times Coast dock, each location offers unique charms and spectacular picture-perfect sights.

For a bird’s eye view, a trek up to one of the city’s viewing platforms is highly recommended. Or, take a ride on the Eye of Sanya at Haichang Fantasy Town.

The scenic Sanya City recently also made its name in the global sport arena as the venue for the 2017 Youth Sailing World Championships. Next April, Sanya will become only the second Chinese city to host the Asian Beach Games. Some 5,000 athletes are due to compete in disciplines including aquathlon and wrestling.

Night Phoenix Island (Wang Kanghong)

The busy intersection of Phoenix Road and Yingbing Road (Feng Shuo)

From the viewing platform on Phoenix Mountains (Feng Shuo)

Sanya Bay at dusk (Wang Kanghong)

Clouds over Sanya Bay (Feng Shuo)

From the viewing platform of Linchunling (Feng Shuo)

Atlantis Hotel at night (Feng Shuo)

Times Coast sailboat dock (Wang Kanghong)

Sanya Bay (Luo Yihan)