Photos

Shenzhen boasts alluring scenery

By Xiao Li and Chen Hong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-07 07:44

Scenic beach and sea

In this southern bustling city, people not only find skyscrapers but also fine destinations for vacation, shopping and night life.

Located in a sub-tropical maritime region, Shenzhen is visited by typhoons three or four times a year but most of the time it enjoys sunny days and gentle sea winds with an average temperature of around 22.4C year-round.

According to the local bureau of meteorology, the average sunshine duration amounts to about 1,630 hours a year, or about 4.4 sunshine hours a day from summer to winter.

East Shenzhen boasts dozens of long and clean beaches. Well-equipped resorts and hotels or family run motels with local characteristics are scattered along the coastal lines in the areas of Dameisha, Xiaomeisha, Xichong and Nan'ao.

Tourists can also experience a diverse water and beachside activities including parasailing, motorboat, diving or even cliff bungee jumping and then taste delicious fresh seafood.

They can also climb the nearby Wutong Mountain, which is 944 m tall, the highest mountain of the city.

Besides the busy streets, the downtown areas of Shenzhen also have quite a big numbers of parks with well-reserved natural scenes, such as the Bijiashan Hill Park, Lotus Hill Park, Central Park, Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park and Mangrove Park. All these parks are financed by the government and free of charge, providing best destinations for both citizens and tourists to run away from the hustle life.

Overseas Chinese Town, located about six km from the official building of the municipal government, has a special appeal with its theme parks called Splendid China, Chinese Folk Culture Village, Window of the World and Happy Valley. Most of them are miniature landscapes that mirror the most famous architectures in the world and in China.

When comes to the night life, bars are mainly gathered at CITIC Plaza, which is at the downtown area, and Shekou area at West Shenzhen.

(China Daily 07/07/2009 page8)