Shenzhen’s first bilingual city guidebook
I put together this 200-page guidebook to Shenzhen, the first LP guide to southern China’s most mega megacity, in late 2019 and 2020 just before Covid hit. It’s a Lonely Planet China publication, sponsored by the good folks at the Shenzhen Tourism Bureau. Who were actually relatively hands-off and encouraging. I spent about a month on the research part, trekking through neighbourhoods, suburbs, beachfronts and national parks, eating a lot and trying to stay one step ahead of the wrecking ball.
In both English and Chinese, It’s available (for free I believe) at Shenzhen’s tourist offices. Here are a few excerpts of personal highlights I encountered along the way.
Tom’s best Shenzhen restaurant(s):
Seasons Coconut Chicken Hot Pot
(润园四季椰子鸡, Rùnyuán Sìjì Yēzǐ Jī; [%] 0755-2912-8886; 4th fl, OCT East Market, Cnr Xiangshan Dongjie and Shantou Jie, 香山东街与汕头街交叉口华侨城东部市场4楼; Chicken and soup base ¥159; [h] 10am-10.30pm; [m] Line 2 to Qiaocheng North, exit B)
A Shenzhen institution, this beloved local chain rips up the hotpot rulebook by using fresh coconut water for the soup base, which delivers a Hainan-style dose of deliciousness to the free-range chicken pieces and other dipped extras like organic mushrooms, raw veggies and tofu. A feast at Seasons feels healthier and more wholesome than a Sichuan-style hotpot, while the Thai aroma of fresh coconut invigorates the senses. Eating is by dunk and dip (mix your own dipping sauce at the counter), except for the chicken which all goes into the hotpot at once. An egg-timer tells you when its ready to eat.
Seasons are also celebrated for their clay pot rice, served with a choice of meaty toppings and cooked over an open flame to achieve those all-important crispy rice bits stuck to the pot.
Of all the locations in Shenzhen, this OCT Loft spot on the top floor of a market is a beauty, with Southeast Asian-style décor and a vast open-air terrace, under a sail-like canopy in case of rain.
OK, it was a draw. I loved this place too:
Fán Lóu
DIM SUM (蘩楼; [%] 0755-8320-6939; 118 Zhenhua Lu, 振华路118号; dim sum ¥21-30; [h] 9am-10pm; [m] Line 2, 7 to Huaqiang Norh, exit X)
For the best all-round dim sum experience, look no further than Fán Lóu, a Guangzhou export with five restaurants in Shenzhen. Whatever dishes jump out at you from the picture menu, you won’t be disappointed. From the bulbous shrimp dumplings served in square steamers to the fried youtiao almost as big as French baguettes, serving sizes here are unfailingly huge, so order sparingly. Or better yet, drink more tea to help the food go down, regularly topped-up by the charming staff.
This location, with its coloured glass windows and comfy booths, is walking distance from Huaqiang Bei, and gains extra points for not being in a shopping mall. Another plus for Fán Lóu is that they serve dim sum until closing time at night, unlike many Cantonese restaurants that only serve it from morning to mid-afternoon. The tick-box menu is Chinese only; an easy-to-understand payment key using Chinese characters denotes how much each dish costs. Note the mandatory ¥7 per person zuò fèi (sitting fee), which includes your choice of tea – pǔ'ěr (fermented black tea from Yunnan province) is traditional.
Tom’s best Shenzhen bar:
Life on Mars
([%] 0755-2692-9220; Block A1, OCT Loft Northeast, 华侨城东部工业区-东北A1栋; [h] 6pm-2am; [m] Line 2 to Qiaocheng North, exit B)
Inspired by the David Bowie song of the same name, Life on Mars is a beacon of cool in the already hip OCT Loft. The amethyst and copper interior overhung with Tom Dixon-inspired lighting reveals a bar mixing seasonal libations like the Cocoa Nib Negroni, made with cocoa-infused Campari, Finnish rye gin and chocolate bitters. Prop up the bar or watch the world drift past on the front patio.
Tom’s best Shenzhen club:
Oil
(油, Yóu; [%] 139-8989-3959; www.facebook.com/OilclubShenzhen; 11a Tairan Dasha, Tairan Balu, 车公庙泰然八路深然大厦11A号; [h] 10pm-late Fri-Sat; [m] Line 9 to Xiasha, exit D
Quite possibly the best underground club in China, Oil is a compact, sweaty chapel to electronic beats, the darker and more esoteric the better. An adjoining cocktail bar (open nightly) provides the perfect prelude to Oil's weekend parties, which have been known to keep raging until 7am. Check its socials for upcoming events.
With a progressive music policy that invites cutting-edge underground DJs from China and around the world, Oil is an icon in the making, and the equal to anywhere in Beijing or Shanghai.
Tom’s best Shenzhen place:
Dafen Oil Painting Village
(大芬油画村, Dà fēn Yóuhuà Cūn; [%] Buji Zhen, Longgang District, 龙岗区布吉镇; [h] 9am-6pm; [m] Line 3 to Dafen, exit A1)
This folksy urban village of narrow lanes and alleys is a pleasure to visit in itself, but what makes Dafen simply unmissable are the hundreds of art studios and stores churning out reproduction oil paintings by hand, earning it the nickname the ‘world's art factory'.
At its peak in the mid noughties, Dafen was estimated to be home to over 10,000 painters producing 70% of the world's commercial oil paintings – a reputation the authorities have sought to upgrade by opening the Dafen Art Museum [pXXX] in 2007, and staging invitational art events, culminating in the first Dafen International Oil Painting Biennale in 2018.
These days Dafen feels more art destination than factory workshop. While there are still plenty of sweatshops churning out Van Goghs, rising rents mean that these have dwindled in number. In their place are dozens of original galleries, big and small, that showcase the work of a single artist (usually the owner). Some, like the excellent Sunrise Art Centre [pXXX] are destinations in themselves. You’ll also find no shortage of whimsical cafes, restaurants and art supplies shops to browse.
Buying Oil Paintings
A fair facsimile of Van Gogh's sunflowers can be yours for less than ¥100 (slightly more if framed), or you can spend upwards of ¥2000 on enormous, gilt-framed scenes of mounted cavalry or galleons at sea rendered in lavish detail. Or why not go pop art kitsch with a Mona Lisa–meets-Minions mash-up? You can also order a bespoke painting for a negotiable fee. Most workshops can create an oil painting from a photograph in any size required, and even deliver it overseas. Dafen is also a good place to pick up Chinese brushes and ink stones, which make excellent buys for the artistically inclined.
From Rice to Rembrandts
Originally a backwater village of only 300 or so residents mainly engaged in rice cultivation, in 1989 an entrepreneurial trade painter from Hong Kong, Huang Jiang, moved to Dafen, taking advantage of the low rent and wages to set up a workshop. His 20 or so workers reproduced famous oil paintings by hand - Van Goghs, Rembrandts and Picassos - which often ended up overseas. Huang’s success drew hundreds more migrant workers to Dafen, many of them with no prior experience of painting. The work was usually done by production line, with individual workers each painting a specific component or colour. By 2015, Dafen’s revenue was reckoned at ¥4.29 billion, and its paintings were sold in furniture stores in the U.S. and Europe, adorning the walls of Chinese hotel chains, restaurants, and show homes, and even stocked in Walmart.
Must Do: Oil Painting
Fancy yourself a budding Rembrandt or Picasso? Up and down the narrow lanes of Dafen you’ll spot rows of easels where you can pull up a box stool and try your hand at oil painting. You can paint for as long as you like, and the price is usually per canvas (¥30-40 for a tiny square canvas, more for a larger one).
China’s Van Goghs, a 2016 documentary film co-directed by Yu Haibo and Kiki Tianqi Yu, follows the journey of a migrant worker-turned oil painting artist in Dafen as he transitions from hua jia (literally ‘painter’) to yi shu jia (artist). It’s available for rent or purchase online at www.vimeo.com/ondemand.
• Check out the Sunrise Art Centre showcasing the work of a contemporary ink artist
• Veer off the main streets– there’s also something interesting to discover in the side alleys
• See what’s on at the Dafen Art Museum
• Try your hand at oil painting at one of the many open-air art classes
• Go shopping for repro Rembrandts, and be prepared to haggle
For a break while browsing the galleries and art shops of Dafen Oil Painting Village, go inside the Sunrise Art Centre [pXXX] and check out its cafe made from the ruins of an old Hakka home.
Tom’s best Shenzhen tourist site:
Window of the World
(世界之窗, Shìjiè Zhīchuāng; [%] 0755-2660-8000; http://en.szwwco.com; 9037 Shennan Dadao, Huaqiao Cheng, 华侨城深南大道9037号; adults/kids/evenings ¥220/110/100; [h] 9am-10.30pm; [m] Line 1, 2 to Window of the World, exit J)
It's 'Around the World in 80 Minutes' (OK, more like half a day) at this endearingly kitsch theme park set in well-tended gardens. From the Houses of Parliament to the Pyramids, the world's great monuments are realised, tackily, in miniature. Some aren't so small – the Eiffel Tower clocks in at an impressive 108m (a third of the size of the original), and Niagara Falls is quite the sight.
The Twin Towers still stand tall(ish) above micro Manhattan, floating in a boating lake overlooked by Mt Rushmore and Capitol Hill. You can relax with an ice cream at a Dutch-themed windmill restaurant that overlooks Venice’s St Mark’s Square, Sydney’s Opera House and Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid statue (life-sized, but then it is small). There are a few child-friendly rides, too, including a miniature railway and Grand Canyon rapids. Tickets drop to ¥100 after 7.30pm; festivities conclude with a largescale historic performance in the amphitheatre followed by a fireworks display.
MUST DO: Window of the World Monuments Quiz
How well do you know your world monuments? Test your geography and history smarts by seeing if you can correctly name all the mini monuments on display at Shenzhen’s endearingly kitsch Window of the World theme park. Be warned: it’s not as easy as it sounds. Would you know Iraq’s Minaret of Samarra if you saw it? Loser buys the drinks afterwards at OCT Loft!
Tom’s best Shenzhen art gallery:
OCT Contemporary Art Terminal
(OCAT深圳馆, OCAT Shēnzhèn Guǎn; [%] 0755-2691-5100; Enping Jie, Huaqiao Cheng, 华侨城恩平街; Free; [h] 10am-5.30pm Tue-Sun; [m] Line 1 to Qiaocheng East, exit A)
Showcasing contemporary visual art from China and beyond, OCAT is a must-visit art destination when wandering the cobbled lanes of OCT Loft. Established in 2005, the non-profit gallery, which is affiliated with the He Xiangning Art Museum [pXXX] and also runs OCT Art and Design Gallery [pXXX], has since launched venues in Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an. At over 3000 square metres in floor space, the former factory workshop is roomy enough to stage large-scale installations from big-name artists. The word ‘terminal’ in the name refers to its mission to be a take-off point for Chinese contemporary art. See what’s on and coming up by finding them on Facebook.
Tom’s best Shenzhen historic sight:
Crane Lake Hakka Residence
(鹤湖新居, Hèhú Xīnjū; [%] 0755-8429-7960; 1 Luoruihe Bei Jie, Nanlian Shequ, 南联社区罗瑞合北街1号; Free; [h] 9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun; [m] Line 3 to Nanlian, exit C1)
A cross between a village and a castle, this remarkable fortified residence is one of the largest and best preserved of its kind in China. Twelve generations of the extended Luo clan lived here since the mid-Qing dynasty, protected by the stout outer walls and watchtowers, and a further set of inner walls enclosing hundreds of homesteads, workshops, wells, and courtyards covering an area of about two hectares. It would have been a self-contained, self-sufficient, fortified community, a patchwork maze that was designed to be easily defended.
The Luos have long since departed – around 4500 of their descendants now live mostly overseas – and the buildings in Crane Lake have been given over to create the Longgang Museum of Hakka Culture, with exhibits examining Hakka folk customs and recreating a couple of homesteads as they would have looked. You can also learn about several of the residence’s famous alumni, with English captions available.
Scorch marks on the rear outer wall recall an incident during the Second Sino-Japanese War when Japanese soldiers set fire to the defensive hall in which a group of residents were taking refuge. Fortunately, they managed to escape their besiegers through a window and out along the top of the perimeter wall.
Tom’s best Shenzhen spiritual sight:
Tomb of Song Shaodi
(宋少帝之墓. Sòng Dhǎodì Zhīmù; [%] 13 Shaodi Lu, Chiwan, 赤湾少帝路13号；Free; [h] 24hr [m] Line 2, 5 to Chiwan, exit C)
A fascinating pilgrimage is to seek out this unassuming hillside tomb, marked by imperial lions and overlooked by apartment buildings, which claims to be the final resting place of the last emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Zhao Bing was just seven years old (shaodi means junior emperor) when the Mongols routed the remnants of the Song armies all the way to the southern edge of China. After one last epic battle, a Song official called Lu Xiufu carried the hapless child emperor to a cliff and leapt into the sea, marking the desperate end of the dynasty. Legend has it that villagers in Chiwan found the child’s body washed ashore, recognisable by his royal robes, and buried him here. A statue of Lu Xiufu carrying the child emperor can be seen by the tomb entrance.
It’s customary for locals to visit the tomb on the first and 15th day of the lunar month to pray for their own children. The tomb is a 30-minute walk from the metro, so consider taking a taxi.
Tom’s best Shenzhen shopping:
Huaiqang Bei Commercial St
(华强北商业街, Huáqiángběi Shāngyèjiē; [%] Huaqiang Beilu, 华强北路; [h] 9am-8pm; [m] Line 2, 7 to Huaqiang North, exit E2)
A sizeable chunk of Shenzhen's prosperity can be traced to this vast cottage industry of tech that stretches across city blocks. Mall after mall selling every tiny electrical component imaginable, like multicoloured spices in a bazaar, has helped make Shenzhen the world's tech manufacturing hub. For anyone into hacker culture it’s a fascinating place to browse, but even if you don’t know your RAM from your ROM, you'll find stores selling all manner of well-designed 'made in Shenzhen' gadgets and gizmos, often at a fraction of the price you’d find overseas.
A word of warning: avoid the temptation to buy Chinese Android smartphones. Government regulations restrict the installation of the Google suite of apps (including Play Store), effectively crippling them for non-Chinese users.
Huaqiang Electronics World
(华强电子世界(深圳二店), Huáqiáng Diànzǐ Shìjiè; [%] 1007-1015 Huaqiang Beilu, 华强北路1007-1015号; [h] 9.30am-6.30pm; [m] Line 7 to Huaqiang North, exit D2)
For a sea of innovative, cut-price kidult toys, like jiving robots, virtual drum kits and e-skateboards, head to this multifloor electronics mall on Huaqiang Bei Commercial St, almost directly opposite SEG Electronics Market [pXXX]. It’s a great place to pick up a uniquely Shenzhen souvenir. Prices can generally be negotiated, so haggle heartily. Look for building 2 (二店) with its curved glass facade. Building 1 just sells electrical components (unless that's your thing).
