Shenzhen is a chic tourist city. Visitors can travel freely and quickly within a one-hour drive and appreciate the modern young city's beauty and ethos.
Tourism Industry
One of the most important and profitable tourist cities in China, Shenzhen is regarded as the capital of Chinese theme parks and tourism innovation. With sea, land and air checkpoints, Shenzhen has a safe, quick and convenient tourist transport network. Eating, living, traveling, shopping and recreation in Shenzhen are made easy because there are products and food available from around the world.
In 2009, 70.7132 million people visited Shenzhen. Overnight overseas visitors totaled 28.4031 million, leading the nation's main tourist cities. This was an increase of 6.8 percent over the previous year. Total tourism revenue was 54.424 billion yuan, including US$2.76 billion in foreign exchange earnings.
Scenic Spots
There are more than 100 scenic spots around the city, including man-made theme parks, natural ecological parks, coastal resorts, shopping plazas and historical sites. Overseas Chinese Town was one of China's first 5A-rated scenic spots, the highest national level.
Theme Park Capital
Shenzhen is famed as the theme park capital. The Window of the World, Splendid China, China Folk Culture Villages, Happy Valley and CITIC Minsk World theme parks are the epitome of a mixture of Chinese and world culture.
Beautiful Coastline
Shenzhen has a large number of coastal scenic spots, including Shenzhen Bay, the Mangrove Nature Reserve and a 15-kilometer coastal leisure corridor in the west and Zhongying Street, Dameisha and Xiaomeisha beaches, Sea World and Dapeng Peninsula in the east. The coastline along the Dapeng Peninsula was named one of the eight most beautiful coasts in China by Chinese National Geography magazine.
Natural Beauty of a Modern Metropolis
OCT East, the national ecological resort occupying about 9 square kilometers, aims to provide visitors with an opportunity to escape from the bustle of city life and return to nature. Visitors can experience the tranquility of Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, which has 12 categories of plants; on top of Wutong Mountain, 944 meters above sea level; at the mountainside Hongfa Temple; Shenzhen Evergreen Resort; Waterlands Resort; Guangming Farm; Qiniang Mountain and Fenghuang Mountain.
Historical Sites
Shenzhen is not only a modern city with a history of reform, but also a city with a past ancient civilization. New Stone Age ruins found in Xiantouling in Dapeng indicate that humans inhabited the area at least 6,700 years ago. There are more than 40 protected sites containing cultural relics around Shenzhen, including the well-known Zhongying Street, Dapeng Fortress, Qing Dynasty Hakka architecture, Song Dynasty Young Emperor's Tomb and the Goddess Temple.
Star-rated Hotels
There are more than 150 star-rated hotels, including 16 five-star hotels. It is expected that by 2011 the city will have more than 30 five-star hotels.
City hotels can accommodate more than 127,000 guests daily. Among the leaders are Wuzhou Guest House, Nanhai Hotel, Sunshine Hotel, Best Western Shenzhen Felicity Hotel, Crowne Plaza Hotel & Suites Landmark Shenzhen, Shangri-La Hotel Shenzhen, Grand Skylight Hotel, Hotel Oriental Regent, Century Plaza Hotel, The Pavilion, Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen, and InterContinental Shenzhen. Crowne Plaza Hotel Shenzhen, which is in Overseas Chinese Town, is the first city resort hotel with a water theme.
Travel Agencies
Shenzhen has 230 travel agencies, including 30 agencies providing international tours.
Golf Clubs
There are 15 golf clubs in Shenzhen. The Mission Hills Golf Club, the first 4A-rated tourist resort in China, has hosted the Golf World Cup annually since 2007 and will host it for the next eight years. Shenzhen Golf Club, Shenzhen Noble Merchant Golf Club and Sand River Golf Club are to the west of the city center along Shennan Thoroughfare.
Shopping Paradise
Shenzhen is renowned as a "shopping paradise," featuring international luxury brands and local products. Western cuisine and local street food are widely available. A profusion of shopping malls and department stores in Shenzhen provide a pleasant atmosphere for shoppers.
With a developed retail network, there are more than 150,000 retail outlets, with floor space of more than 18 million square meters, 1.57 square meters per capita. There are more than 500 stores with floor space of more than 5,000 square meters. Nine top national retail chains such as China Resources Vanguard all have headquarters in Shenzhen.
Native Produce
Shenzhen's famous native produce include Shajing oysters, Nanshan litchis, Xixiang shrimp, Fuyong fish, Nan'ao abalone, Shiyan pears, Longgang chicken, Pingshan oranges, Xili mangos, Songgang preserved duck, Gongming roast goose, Guangming young pigeon and more than 150 kinds of medicinal herbs.
Food and Recreation
As a new migrant city and international metropolis, Shenzhen serves some of the best food in the world. With thousands of eateries, visitors can taste delicious food from around the world. Bar streets, including those in Shekou Sea World, Window of the World and CITIC City Plaza, are all good choices for pubgoers at night.
Tourist and Cultural Festivals
There are more than 170 kinds of tourist and cultural festivals in Shenzhen, including the Shenzhen International Tourism Cultural Festival, Beach Music Festival, Window of the World International Beer Festival and Overseas Chinese Town Carnival. The Happy Valley International Magic Festival is one of the world's biggest magic festivals, attracting more than 200 top magicians from around the globe every year.
Source： 大运官网 Editor： 郑旭莹（实习生）
