Tianhou Temples in Shenzhen

This article was originally published on March 18, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Tianhou herself on the main altar, the Tianhou Temple at Houhai

One of Shenzhen's best-known temples is the Tianhou Temple in Chiwan. It is the only mainland Tianhou temple mentioned in Temples of the Empress of Heaven by Joseph Bosco and Puay-peng Ho, two professors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. (The others are 17 temples in Hong Kong and 9 more in Taiwan.)

Runner's Paradises

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The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now.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

Click on the map for a larger view

Numerous friends have complained that the roads in Shenzhen aren't suitable for jogging or running (or even, sometimes, walking).

The solution? Try the parks. My wife has been running in Shenzhen for about a year now, and together we've compiled this list of prime running spots:

Shennan Thoroughfare

This article was originally published on January 7, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Shennan running west toward the bay, with the hex-shaped Saige Tower standing tall.
(All views from the "Meridian View Deck" in the Diwang Building.)

In 2004, Shenzhen chose its "Eight Scenic Spots" with the help of a team of experts and the votes of over a million citizens.

I've written about four of these already: Dapeng Fortress, Lotus Hill Park, Overseas Chinese Town, and the Meisha beaches. Wutong and Yangtai Mountains are actually a bit beyond my skill-set. (Maybe I'll take up mountain-climbing in the future.). And Zhongying Street is not accessible to foreigners, to the best of my knowledge.

That leaves only one. Hollywood has its Sunset Boulevard, New York its Broadway, and Paris its Champs Elysees. Add a new kid to the great streets of the world: our very own Shennan Thoroughfare.

Shopping in Shenzhen: The New Kids

This article was originally published on April 22, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

We have looked at some of Shenzhen's "Old School" shopping venues. This time, we'll talk about malls opened in the "Post-Metro" era, all with cinemas, upscale fashion, and fine dining.

Shopping in Shenzhen: Old School

This article was originally published on April 15, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The mammoth Luohu Commercial City building

In some ways, life in Shenzhen can be divided by a date near the end of 2004. Everything before that was "Pre-Metro" and after that, "Post-Metro." The opening of our subway system changed everything.

So, when we look at "old school" shopping, we find that Shenzhen's "Big Three"-- Luohu Commercial City, Dongmen Pedestrian Streets, and the Huaqiang Bei area--were all there before the Metro lines opened (and so were a couple of other war horses still campaigning).

Meridian View Centre (Diwang Building)

This article was originally published on July 30, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The Diwang ("King of the Earth") used to be Shenzhen's tallest building

On the next clear sunny day, head for the Meridian View Centre.

On the 69th floor of the Diwang Building, at a height of 384 meters, it's touted as "the first high-rise theme sightseeing and entertainment scenic spot in Asia" and has had millions of visitors since its opening in 1999.

Old Dongmen

This article was originally published on September 3, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Dongmen is even older than China's first McDonalds (pictured here)

Few places in Shenzhen are as modern as the Dongmen shopping area. But did you know that two outposts of Shenzhen's history can be found here? Siyue Shuyuan and the Zhang Ancestral Hall are each around 300 years old--as old as the Dongmen shopping area itself.

Luohu Commercial City

This article was originally published on June 14, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The impressive exterior of Luohu Commercial City

Before the Shenzhen Metro, people used to (barely) come across from Hong Kong to shop at Luohu Commercial City, a stone's throw from the Luohu Border Crossing.

In many ways, it's still one of the best.

Universiade Venues on the Metro

This article was originally published on July 25, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Click to see the larger map on its original page

On a recent research trip, I ran across a large map of the Metro system which, although not a complete list of Universiade venues, did highlight those venues which can be accessed from various Metro stations. Here they are, line-by-line, in more-or-less west to east or south-to-north order.

The Shekou Metro Line

This article was originally published on February 25, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

An artistic portrayal of the entire line [at the time, just to Windows of the World]

I recently rode the Shekou Metro Line (Line 2), which is one of Shenzhen's newest. [At that time, it ran only from Chiwan to Windows of the World; it has now been extended north and east, well into Luohu.]

Cuizhu Park

This article was originally published on July 15, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The West Entrance to Cuizhu Park

Continuing my exploration of the new Metro lines and their destinations, I noted Cuizhu Station on Line 3 (the Longgang Line), and decided to take it to Cuizhu Park, named for a species of bamboo.

Three Parks in Luohu

This article was originally published on August 27, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

A quiet redwood forest in Honghu Park

Since the year 2000, Shenzhen has been renowned as an "International Garden City" with large amounts of green space. Several of those spaces are in Luohu, the older, more settled portion of Shenzhen's central area.

Hongfa Temple

This article was originally published on December 3, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

A view of Fairy Lake over the temple's rooftops

Months ago I promised a tour of Hongfa Temple, Shenzhen’s largest Buddhist temple. Today's the day.

Fairy Lake (Xianhu) Park

This article was originally published on June 21, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The front gate of Fairy Lake Park features a statue of a "fairy" (xian).

Many of you will know of Xianhu ("Fairy Lake") Botanical Gardens as the site of Shenzhen's largest Buddhist temple, Hongfa Si. We'll talk about that another day, but today let's focus on the rest of the park--and what a park it is.

Donghu Park (East Lake) and Shenzhen Art Museum

This article was originally published on July 16, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Lush foliage surrounds East Lake

On a hot summer afternoon, head over to Donghu (East Lake) park for a relaxing stroll by the waterside.

Shenzhen Curio World (Antique Market)

This article was originally published on March 29, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The main entrance to Shenzhen Curio World

Looking for that perfect souvenir to take home, or something really Chinesey to decorate your room?

Shenzhen Curio World (sometimes referred to as the Antique Market) opened in 2002 with acres of floor space and (by some counts) 2000 vendors. Billions of yuan have changed hands here, and the site has been a prime destination for the yearly International Cultural Industry Fair held in Shenzhen every May.

Book Browsing

This article was originally published on March 25, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

This week a Shenzhen newcomer asked me where she could find books in English in Shenzhen.

The "Site of the Merits"

This article was originally published on February 8, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Ornate front gate of the "Site of the Merits," an old walled village in Sungang

When friends say "Shenzhen has no historical buildings," I like to take them to the walled village known as "The Site of the Merits."

Zhang family’s ancestral hall in Luohu

This is the PDF version of one of the articles in the Shenzhen Daily's "Historical Sites" series. Since the PDF versions are no longer available online, I have taken the liberty of posting here the ones I have (alas, I only found eight of them in my files). You can find the others on my page about the list, or click here to see them all.

Siyue Library in Dongmen

This is the PDF version of one of the articles in the Shenzhen Daily's "Historical Sites" series. Since the PDF versions are no longer available online, I have taken the liberty of posting here the ones I have (alas, I only found eight of them in my files). You can find the others on my page about the list, or click here to see them all.