Tourism and Travel
Attractions in and around Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a modern financial and commercial metropolis in China; however, it lacks the history and natural beauties which attract visitors to many of the other big cities in China. In recent years the city has compensated by developing excellent theme parks and man-made scenic spots. These modern facilities have succeeded in drawing in crowds of tourists, eager to check out the contemporary attractions (details see below). Shenzhen is also adjacent to Hong Kong, which is even better known bustling city for business, entertainment and shopping. Read more here and here
For those who have a few days more, a visit to Guilin/Yangshuo, where the world famous lime stone mountains can be visited. More information can be found here, here and here
Major attractions within Shenzhen
Window of the World, a theme-park near to Shenzhen Bay, is one of the highlights of Shenzhen. The park displays miniature versions of more than 130 world famous sites, from each of the five continents. Here you are able to visit many of the world’s great landmarks in just one day. Read more about the window of the world here, here and here
Of course, since you are in China, you will also want to explore some of China’s most well-known sites. Splendid China and China Folk Culture Villages are two special destinations built in Shenzhen to that will introduce you to many interesting aspects of China’s culture and scenery. Splendid China features miniature replicas of splendid Chinese historical sites and charming natural beauties. More about splendid China can be found here and here
China Folk Culture Villages will introduce you to the cultures of the many Chinese ethnic groups. Its highlights include life-sized examples of distinctive buildings from each group, as well as rich ethnic performances. More about Folk Culture Villages here and here
Happy Valley (Happy Kingdom), which is near to the Window of the World, is the largest theme park in Shenzhen and consists of nine major projects, including a Spanish Square, Cartoon City, the Adventure Hill, and the Maya Water Park. While at Happy Valley, you can join in the many exciting games and enjoy a variety of excellent performances which cater to both children and adults. Happy Valley is a full service park, providing visitors with everything from sightseeing, entertainment, catering and accommodations, to shopping. More information about happy valley can be found here and here
Besides, there are still many attractions worth a visit in the city. Among of them, Shenzhen Xianhu Botanical Garden, Shenzhen Safari Park, Da Meisha and Xiao Meisha Scenic Area (two excellent bathing beaches), Minsk World (a theme park), and Meridian View Center (also called the window of Shenzhen) are highly recommended. Moreover, Xili Lake Resort endowed with enchanting natural view offers a quiet place for citizens to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It also has a few museums one of which, Shenzhen Museum, shows the short but impressive history of the city as a growth pole.
Guangzhou en Macao
Also located in the vicinity of Shenzhen are Guangzhou (the capital of Guangdong province and in the West better known as Canton), which has a long history and can be accessed by high-speed train, and Macao. Macao has long been a Portuguese settlement and therefore enjoys a host of attractive Portuguese-style pieces of architecture alongside Chinese-style temples, a good museum showing its history and quite impressive gambling palaces, both in terms of numbers and in terms of size. Macao can be accessed from Shenzhen by ferry-boat.
Text adopted from travel in china guide
Picture credits: Szymon Kochański tunachilli Ray Devlin
