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The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now.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.

A Walk through OCT

This article was originally published on July 9, 2010, 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The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now.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

After last week's ride on the "Happy Line" monorail, let's take a closer look at some things to see in OCT--and they're all FREE!

China Merchant Group Historical Museum

This article was originally published on June 24, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Sign on the guard house in front of the Museum

The Shenzhen Daily recently ran a "List of revolutionary tourist attractions" on the travel page, calling my attention to several sites I hadn't seen.

So last weekend we visited the China Merchant Group Historical Museum at 21 Yanshan Road, Shekou, just a 10-minute walk from Sea World. Bus 226 stops at Shekou Keji Dasha (蛇口科技大厦), then walk up Gongye 4th Road.

Crane Lake Dwelling Hakka House Museum

This article was originally published on May 24, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The front gate at the Crane Lake Dwelling Hakka House Museum

The Hakka people, a sub-culture of the Han Chinese, have long been an integral part of the Shenzhen scene. Because they settled here later than the earlier Han populations, the group's name means "Guest People."

Dafen Oil Painting Village

This article was originally published on June 28, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

An open-air exhibition of paintings

On the northern edge of Luohu, near the road to Longgang Town, lies a village unique in all the world.

Dafen Oil Painting Village in Buji has thousands of painters and hundreds of workshops, and claims that it is to oil painting what McDonald's is to fast food.

Dapeng Fortress

This article was originally published on June 7, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The main gate of Dapeng Fortress

Longtime Shenzheners may have heard our fair city nicknamed "The Roc City," the roc being a large, mythical bird. The name is a translation of "dapeng cheng (大鹏城)," or Dapeng Fortress, one of Shenzhen's most spectacular historical sites. (Others say it's because the city looks like a giant bird from the air; I suspect this explanation came later.)

The Bao'an Labor Museum

This article was originally published on May 6, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

A statue in the courtyard of the Bao'an Labor Museum depicts Shenzhen's workers

On the bus to my regular visits to the smell Buddhist temple at Shiyan Lake, I have often seen a sign in Shiyan announcing the "Shenzhen (Baoan) Labor Museum." Finally, on this Labor Day weekend, I decided to jump off the bus and have a look.

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.

The Shenzhen Ancient Art Museum

This article was originally published on October 1, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The front of the museum, set back from Shennan Thoroughfare

In another article I wrote about the (then) new Shenzhen History Museum. This time, let's visit the Shenzhen Ancient Art Museum, next to Lizhi Park, which is sometimes referred to as the "Old Hall" of the Museum.

Shenzhen Children's Palace (Shaonian Gong)

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

The Children's Palace (Shaonian Gong) with a planetarium

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, I had the pleasure of setting foot in the "Children's Palace" (Shaonian Gong) for the first time.

Guan Shanyue Art Museum

This article was originally published on August 1, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The Guan Shanyue Art Museum

The last time I visited the Guan Shanyue Art Museum in Lianhua Shan Park was before its refurbishing in 2007. On a visit last weekend, I was pleased to see that the "new" museum is a great improvement over the old one.

Shenzhen History Museum

This article was originally published on September 24, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The Shenzhen Museum sits under the east end of the City Hall
(Shimin Zhongxin") complex. Entrance is around the corner in this shot.

Although the Shenzhen History Museum opened in late 2008, I just recently visited it for the first time. And it's nothing short of world-class.

Tianhou Temple, Chiwan

This article was originally published on July 23, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The main hall at the Tianhou Temple, Chiwan

The Tianhou Temple (or Tianhou Gong, 天后宫) at Chiwan is the largest of its type in Guangdong. Dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the temple was really "put on the map" by the Ming admiral Zheng He.

Art Museums in OCT

This is a slightly longer version of an article that was originally published on February 1, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The He Xiangning Museum

Most of us know Windows of the World, the noticeable theme park in Shenzhen's OCT (Overseas Chinese Town, or Huaqiaocheng). Others may know Happy Valley, or Splendid China.

But do you know about OCT's other trio, the three great art spaces there?

A Walk in Chiwan

This article was written to be published on December 28, 2009, in the Shenzhen Daily. However, it was "held back" (not published) because it was too much like a "general road map," without enough details. But I'll publish it here, and link it to more detailed articles later.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.
I have visited the young emperor's tomb and the Tianhou Temple as recently as 2013; they were substantially as listed here. I haven't seen the gun, though, in quite some time.

Spend a day in Chiwan! See an imperial tomb, a temple dedicated to a sea goddess, and a gun emplacement.