What to see in Shenzhen: visit China's first special economic zone

before visiting ShenzhenI had always heard that it was a boring place. But when I arrived, what a surprise! Everything I had heard couldn't be further from the truth. Shenzhen is a vibrant city full of leisure options, good food, entertainment and a modern infrastructure that wins you over from the first moment.

Where there are young people, there is creativity and an innovative lifestyle. Shenzhen is the perfect example of this. Like Shanghai, this city offers a myriad of experiences that leave no room for boredom. From cultural activities to beaches and delicious cuisine, Shenzhen has a unique charm that you cannot miss.

A coastal respite

Some people describe Shenzhen as an "iron cage" built with skyscrapers, but don't forget that it's also a coastal city. Areas like Yantian and Dapeng New Town offer a respite from urban life. On the extensive coastline of Dameisha, Xiaomeisha, Dongyong, and Xichong, or on the Dapeng Peninsula, you can enjoy the sea in many ways, perfect for a relaxing vacation.

Gastronomy that surprises

When I arrived, I thought Shenzhen would be a culinary desert compared to other cities in Guangdong. But, to my surprise, the food is delicious. The local appetite has been influenced by the people of Chaoshan, known for their love of food and drink. From traditional dishes to modern flavors, Shenzhen doesn't disappoint when it comes to gastronomy.

A happier tourism

Being a tourist in Shenzhen can be more joyful than living in the city. Regardless of everyday challenges like traffic or high cost of living, as a visitor you can simply enjoy the best of this young and vibrant city. To fall in love with Shenzhen, all you need is a plane ticket.

To fall in love with Shenzhen, all you need is a plane ticket.

Shenzhen and its history: The ancient city of Nantou

Shenzhen has no history? The ancient city is really nice to visit

Although Shenzhen is known for its modernity and lack of cultural heritage, it is not completely devoid of history. The ancient town of Nantou holds the memories of Gubaoan County, the precursor to the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Bao'an used to be a coastal fortress and gateway to the south. Although much of the walls and buildings were destroyed during the war, historical relics such as the Xin'an County Government Office, Guandi Temple and Dongguan Guild Hall still remain.

Today, Nantou is also a creative district with shops, cafes and restaurants that reflect the entrepreneurial dream of Shenzhen's young people. Most of the buildings on the streets and alleys were rebuilt from antiques. The Lingnan style still appeals to me very much. There are painted paintings and sculptures hidden among the grey bricks, which is a low-key luxury.

If you think that Nantou Ancient Town is just a place to look at buildings and walk along stone paths, then you are underestimating Shenzhen. After renovation and upgrading, the ancient town is also a creative district, where various interesting artistic activities are often held.

A main street extends into countless small streets, filled with cultural and creative shops, restaurants and cafes that young people like. I sincerely recommend that you spend half a day shopping. The shop owners in the ancient city have good taste. Each small shop can be the entrepreneurial dream of a young person from Shenzhen.

Not only is there plenty to visit, the restaurants in the ancient city are also quite amazing, such as Binma Tang Shui (彬妈糖水), Jiujie Tang Shui (九街糖水), Jinjiang Restaurant (襟江酒家), etc., whether they are well-established brands with good reputations or popular new restaurants.

Therefore, whenever you enter Guangdong, you will have no problem finding delicious food.

Shenzhen Coast: A Maritime Paradise

Come here to see the sea, the sea in Shenzhen is so blue.

When I came to Shenzhen this time, I came to see the sea.

Let me summarize and plan a feasible route for friends who visit the sea for the first time.

Shenzhen's coastline is divided into two sections by Hong Kong. In the urban part, you can enjoy sea views at places like Shenzhen Bay Park, Xiwan Mangrove Wetland Park and Happy Harbor. These areas combine skyscrapers and sea, creating a unique landscape.

For beaches and more relaxed activities, the more touristy side of Shenzhen is Yantian and Dapeng. Dameisha is ideal for first-time seaside visitors. With a clean beach, modern facilities and recreational activities, it's a spot that deserves its fame. You can also explore Xiaomeisha, which offers more tranquility, albeit with an entrance fee.

If you're looking for something wilder and more natural, Xichong is perfect. With its four connected beaches, it's ideal for activities like surfing. Plus, you can enjoy spectacular sea views from the Xiyong Observatory.

Top places for sea viewing include Shenzhen Bay Park (深圳湾公园), Xiwan Mangrove Wetland Park (西湾红树林湿地公园), Happy Harbor (欢乐港湾), Xiaonanshan Park (小南山公园) and World of Sea (海上世界), along the coast.

Yantian: More than just a remote district

The sea in Yantian and Dapeng is more exciting, with beaches and rocks where you can practice various sports and eat seafood at low prices. The disadvantage is, of course, that food, drink and entertainment are not as complete as in the urban area, and currently the subway is only built as far as Yantian, and further east you can only rely on taxis or self-driving cars.

The main places to watch the sea include Dameisha, Xiaomeisha (大小梅沙), Dongyong Xichong (东涌西涌), Guanhu Beach (官湖沙滩), Shayu Bay (沙鱼涌), etc. There are also many small beaches along the Dapeng Peninsula (大鹏半岛). It is more convenient to drive by yourself. You can see where there are beautiful stops along the way.

This time I stayed in Dameisha. It is right at the junction of the urban area and the suburbs. It is convenient to go to both sides, and because it was developed earlier, the supporting facilities are more complete than other scenic spots. You can go shopping here, because there are hotels and outlets, amusement parks and many restaurants here.

If it's your first time seeing the sea, you should come to Dameisha. After all, it is the face of Shenzhen's coastal scenic spot.

Dameisha used to have a lot of problems, but now they have been solved: the sand has become finer, the environment is cleaner, the facilities are richer (toilets, footbaths, lockers and lifeguards are all available) and the shops have been greatly improved. Now Dameisha is fully worthy of the title of facade. The experience is really good. When Line 8 reaches this station, it will probably be even more lively.

Today, the quality of Dameisha Beach is quite good and there are many recreational activities. It is open until 10 pm and no tickets are required. The disadvantages are also obvious: during the holidays there are more people.

There is a boardwalk by the sea, which is built entirely along the coast. The scenery is amazing and it doesn't cost any money.

Xiaomeisha and Dameisha are actually the same beach, but they are separated to separate the crowds. Xiaomeisha requires a ticket, which costs 48 yuan. I heard from netizens that the cost is high and there are not as many facilities as Dameisha, but there should be fewer people there. In short, just choose one of these two beaches and go there.

When I lived in Dameisha, I took a day to go to Xichong. Although it was very sunny, the scenery and the experience were worth it.

There are a total of 4 connected beaches in Xichong, and you can go to all of them by buying a 40 yuan big ticket. Each beach has different functions: No. 1 is a performance area, No. 2 is a bathing beach where you can enter the water, No. 3 is an expansion base, and No. 4 is a surfing base but you can't enter the water.

I went to beach number 4. The waves here are relatively small and suitable for beginners' training. The trial class costs 500 yuan and 90 minutes. If you really want to learn, it would be more cost-effective to sign up for a full course. There are more clubs behind the beach.

But I'm not here to surf, but to take a speedboat from here to Xiyong Observatory. To achieve my wish of looking at the sea from the mountain, I climbed at least 100 steps.

Fortunately, the effort and the rewards are directly proportional. The sea here is a true "sea," not intended for human entertainment, and is primitively dangerous and wild.

As I climbed higher and higher along the plank road, the words "reverence nature" slowly emerged in my heart. The sea is deep and vast, and it truly has the power to swallow me up at any moment; the sea is so beautiful and has the magical power to heal people's hearts.

After climbing to the top, you have two options: go down the mountain and take a yacht back to Beach No. 4, or take a taxi/walk along the road and return to the beach/hotel.

To see the sea, I also went to Shenkui Road on the east side of Dameisha. It was a stretch of coastal road, and since there was a particularly beautiful corner, many people went there to take photos.

The scenery there is really nice, but there are no villages or shops in front or behind. After taking the photo, I don't know what to do. It's very nice to come here to walk and enjoy the scenery.

But instead of going to Shenkui Road, I recommend you go to Eastern Overseas Chinese Town, which is 2 kilometers away from Dameisha. This paradise is super big, with two main scenic spots, three characteristic villages and its own hotel, providing one-stop service for food, drink, entertainment and accommodation.

Valley of Heroes Scenic Area (大侠谷景区) was upgraded a few years ago and the attractions are even more exciting. And because the paradise is originally surrounded by mountains and seas, the scenery is especially beautiful when you are at a high place. For those who don't like exciting activities, it is worth taking a ride on the Yunhai Cableway (云海索道) and the Forest Railway.

If we don't go to the amusement park, we can also go to the shopping mall. The outlet, which can be reached across the street from Dameisha, is built like a European city, with shops and restaurants inside, which is perfect for killing time.

yantian It may seem boring, but there are actually things to do.

Both Dameisha and Xiaomeisha are located in Yantian District, which is actually quite remote. But when I went to the commercial area, I found that the streets are quite lively. There are many shopping malls, office buildings, and restaurants. It is populated and prosperous.

Generally, few tourists make a special trip to visit Yantian, but this time, as I was living in Dameisha, I took the opportunity to delve deeper into Yantian. Unexpectedly, it was quite interesting.

The first aspect is eating. Surprisingly, there are many restaurants in Dameisha, from Chaoshan beef stew to local specialty pigeon, from seafood porridge to Puning tofu, they all taste very good.

But if you want to eat seafood, you might have to take a taxi to Yantian Seafood Street (盐田海鲜食街), where you can find really cheap and good quality food. The cheapest way to eat seafood is to buy it at the nearby seafood market and then go to the food stalls to process it.

On Yantian Seafood Street, a row of food stalls stretches along the waterfront, with "seaview seating" on the second floor. After eating, take a stroll along the seaside promenade. Yantian Port, across the water, is quite spectacular.

Because Line 8 can lead to Yantian, there are many people coming from Nanshan and Longgang to eat rice rolls every weekend. This traditional business is very popular.

The second aspect is the scenery. The highest mountain in Shenzhen is Wutong Mountain (大小梧桐山) in Yantian. Although it takes a lot of effort to climb, you can take in the scenery of the entire city, the mountains and the sea all in one shot.

It takes about 2-3 hours for people with average fitness to climb the mountain. Some of the sections are steep and not suitable for seniors and children. Local mountaineering enthusiasts often organize night climbing activities. They climb to the top early in the morning to watch the sunrise. The scenery is really good when there are few clouds.

The third aspect is the special geography. Shenzhen and Hong Kong border on many parts. In addition to Luohu and Futian ports, there is also Yantian Shatoujiao port. Here is a very special place called Zhongying Street (中英街). One side of this street is Shenzhen and the other side is Hong Kong.

Zhongying Street is very lively because you can buy duty-free goods and there are many restaurants where many locals go shopping.

For those who are not interested in shopping, I recommend going to the sea view park on the east side of Chongying Road to enjoy the scenery: Hong Kong is opposite and Yantian Port is in the distance. This is the mouth of the Sha Taujiao River. The water is very blue, bluer than any sea view spot in Shenzhen.

There is a special fishing area along the coast, and people often stay here to fish and catch crabs. They also sell fish and crabs that they catch on site.

Since the opening of Yantian Station on Line 8, the distance between various districts in Shenzhen has been shortened. Even if you live in Nanshan, it is worth taking the subway for a day. The scenery here is not visible from the CBD.

Nanshan: The vibrant heart of Shenzhen

The perfect Nanshan, with everything to eat, drink and have fun

In the heyday of Luohu and Futian districts, no one came to Nanshan, thinking it was a desolate and remote place. Who would have thought that Nanshan would now become the pride of Shenzhen, with all the famous companies gathered here?

There is a saying that goes like this: old money lives in PTU (华侨城), new money lives in Xiangmi Lake (香蜜湖), and new money lives in Shenzhen Nanshan Bay (南山深圳湾). No. 1 Shenzhen Bay is currently the most expensive residential building in Shenzhen, with an average price of 230.000 yuan per square meter.

But I have to say that as a tourist, Nanshan District is a lot of fun.

There are restaurants all over the street, with simple decoration, which makes people feel that everything is delicious and want to come in to eat.

Sea World in Nanshan has become one of Shenzhen's landmarks because a French-built cruise ship is parked there. There are plenty of food, drinks and entertainment in that area, and you can also see the sea. A similar place is The Happy Coast, which also offers food, drinks and scenery.

In addition, Shekou Ancient Street, which is full of delicious food, is also located in Nanshan. You can also take a yacht at Shekou Pier. Nanshan District is really too prosperous and rich, so I plan to write a separate article next time.

Shenzhen is really big, so it's impossible to do everything at once. My advice is to stay in Nanshan if you want to visit the city, and if you want to see the sea, stay in Dameisha.