Did you forget to book your train or plane tickets well in advance of this year’s National Day holidays? Resigned yourself to seeing a few sights in Hong Kong at the most?
So maybe you won’t be spending a blissful week in Bali this year, but don’t forget that there’s still lots to do in and around Shenzhen. And look on the bright side: this way you won’t break the bank or be overwhelmed by hordes of tourists.
Here are our top five suggestions on what to do if you’re staying in the city over Golden Week:
1. Take a Day Trip
First of all, check out our daytripper feature, which gives suggestions for outings all over the PRD. Close to home, there’s Dafen Painting Village, a Hakka Culture Museum and a Hong Kong village on stilts.
If you’re willing to go further out, visiting a national park is a must, not to mention the UNESCO World Heritage site in Kaiping (shown above).
Our posts explain what each place has to offer plus directions, which make your vacationing that much easier.
2. Explore Shenzhen’s Disappearing Urban Villages
In the next few years, places like Hubei Village and Baishizhou will undergo major changes. The areas as you know them may disappear, as closely clustered neighborhoods are replaced by high-rises and shopping malls.
That’s a real shame, because in a city that many deride as having “no culture,” both areas are exceptions. Some of the buildings in Hubei Village can claim up to 500 years of history. Walking down the narrow alleyways, past small shrines and beneath ancient-looking tiled eaves, it’s not hard to believe.
Baishizhou too has areas that predate Shenzhen’s urban transformation. As a local activist told us, it’s also the only place in the city that has architecture from each period of Shenzhen’s modern history. Plus, the street food is great.
How to get there: To reach Hubei Village, take the Shekou subway line to Hubei station, Exit B. Walk along Shennan Dong Lu, in the opposite direction of traffic flow, and turn left at the nearest lane. Once you've reached Hubei Lu, continue in the same direction and you'll eventually hit the heart of the village.
To reach Baishizhou, get off at Exit A, Baishizhou station, on the Luobao line. Go up Shahe Jie, turning right at the first opportunity to see the urban village.
3. Go to Dapeng Peninsula
Dapeng boasts attractions like a historical fortress, an artists’ village, and beaches, but the 3-4 hour trip to get there tends to put off would-be visitors.
Now, with seven days of vacation on your hands, there’s ample time to get out and explore. Dapeng Fortress (大鹏镇) is the main attraction here: well-preserved historical buildings dating back as far as the 1300s, plus some local culture to boot.
Xichong Beach is probably Dapeng’s well-known beach, but it’s located all the way at the southern tip of the peninsula. If you’re not keen on staying the night in the area, we recommend that you go to the artists’ village (called "深圳艺象iD TOWN国际艺术区") instead. It may still be a work in progress, but you can check out some cool graffiti and take a short walk to the nearby Guan Hai’an Beach.
How to get there: Buses H92, E26, E11, and Dapeng Special District Holiday Special Line 2 all go directly to Dapeng Fortress. Check a Chinese or English-language online map to see which line is most convenient for you.
There are multiple ways to get to the artists' village, depending on your starting point. A good strategy may be to catch a bus to Xichong Bus Station (葵涌汽车站), a central station, and hail a cab from there.
4. Bike the Seaside
Shenzhen is rich in parks and coastal areas. Take advantage of both by renting a bike for the day, and exploring a place you’ve never been before.
Our top recommendations are the Mangrove Nature Reserve and the neighboring Shenzhen Bay Park, both in Nanshan District. The Mangrove Nature Reserve is a no-brainer: who doesn’t want to bike next to the ocean and check out plants in one of Shenzhen’s most unique parks?
Shenzhen Bay Park has slightly less trees but similarly great views. You can bike all the way to the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center from here, following the shoreline.
How to get there: Take the Luobao line to Qiaocheng East station, then take a bus or taxi (6 minutes) to the entrance of the Mangrove Nature Reserve (红树林鸟类自然保护区).
Shenzhen Bay Park is a long, skinny piece of land that curves around the bay. To reach the area close to the sports center, take the Shekou line or the Airport line to Houhai station. From there, the park (深圳湾公园) is a short taxi ride away.
5. Visit a Traditional Hakka 'Walled Village'
We mentioned a Hakka culture museum (also called Crane Lake Hakka Village) in our first suggestion, but the fun doesn’t stop there. If you’d like to learn more about the customs of this local ethnic minority, there are more walled villages you can visit up in Pingshan and Longgang.
These traditional buildings are often long and low, designed for many families to live in together. Longtian Shiju (龙田世居), in Pingshan, is said to have some of the best-preserved structures in Shenzhen. Longgang District's Maosheng Shiju (茂盛世居) is another option for curious visitors.
Each of the above would make for a decent outing on its own. If you like what you see, you could even visit all of them for the full-on traditional Hakka experience.
How to get there: There are multiple routes to Longtian Shiju. One of the fastest involves taking the Longgang Line to Henggang Station, Exit A or B, then catching the Fast Bus 15 (高快巴士15路) from the nearby bus station all the way to Kengzi Market Station (坑梓市场站). From there, cross the street and turn down Xiecheng Lu. Four streets down, take a left and then a right to reach your destination.
To get to Maosheng Shiju, take the Longgang line to Henggang Station, Exit D. From there, go straight along Longgang Da Dao and turn right at Maosheng Lu. You'll pass Maosheng Park immediately before arriving at Maosheng Shiju, on your right.
[Images via Matthew Bossons, Jesse Warren, Sunyaya.com, Xialv.com, Jryghq.com]
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