OCT Bay

This article was originally published on November 14, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Workers use a waterway to transport materials at the not-quite-yet-open OCT Bay

They say that "the third time's the charm." Well, it took me FOUR visits to the new OCT Bay complex before I found anything open. [And most things still weren't.] They took time to get it right.

The Creative Exhibition Center

And right it is. There are still quite a few things unfinished (including the "Happy Mall" itself, the IMAX Theater, and the Creative Exhibition Center), but the landscaping and architecture are spectacular. This is a great time to experience the unfolding of what will prove to be central Shenzhen's premiere venue.

Dining among waterways and bridges. Like Venice. But in China.

Already, several of the swanky restaurants and bars are receiving guests. Many of those remain empty, with hordes of staff standing by, a perfect chance to get pampered.

Most of the restaurants are high-end (one told me an average meal runs 720RMB!), and many are East Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese), although Yes Thai is there, and Trattoria Italiano da Angelo is an outstanding exception to the Asian theme.

(Be aware that not all places mentioned are open yet, but those that aren't will be soon.)

The Water Show Theater

Another exceptional feature which is already open is the "Water Show Theater," an outdoor lagoon-arena currently featuring a show called "Mangrove Groove." During soft opening, shows are nightly from 8:00-8:45pm; soon they will change to 7:40 nightly, with a second show at 9:00pm Friday through Sunday. (Shows cancelled in the event of rain.)

So head down to OCT Bay, between Baishi Lu and Binhe Dadao, south of Windows of the World. It's like Forrest Gump's box of chocolate: You never know what you're going to get!

GPS Info:

• 22.5237, 113.9894

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