Sanya is a many ethnic groups of melting pot, the primary groups are Han, Li, Miao, Hui, apart occupying the proportion of 184,000; 3,407; 7096. Many dialects: hainanese, Jun language, Mai language, Li language, Huihui language, Danzhou language, Danjia language.

The Li people have been living in Sanya for many generations who are the earliest residents of the island. According to their tradition, when a young woman marries with a young man, the young wife will stay with her own parents until she has borne a child, and they tend to get married at an early age. The Sanyuesan Festival is the time for young Li people to pursue love and happiness. On the day, they put on splendid dresses to show the love by singing and dancing.

The Miao whose ancestral home was in the mountainous. When guests visit the Miao, their often play host to three-color rice for dinner. Following to Miao’s tradition, young men and women express their passionate feelings by pinching the beloved and offer a marriage with songs, it is different from Han. Like the Li nationality, The Sanyuesan Festival is an important gala day.

The Hui people live together in Yanglan Town of Sanya City. They believe in Islam, write in Arabic, use Islamic calendar, speak their own language and have their own festivals like LasserBairam and Corban. Generally speaking, they only choose a spouse in the Islamic clan. When in worship, they dress themselves white and read aloud the Koran just as other Islamic communities in the world