Artron (Shenzhen) Art Center

Shenzhen housing developments are often built around beautiful tropical gardens with luxurious club house amenities and one of the most famous of these is Portofino. It is built around a surprisingly attractive imitation of an Italian Piazzetta along a lake which has cafes, bars and restaurants without outdoor seating. Shenzhen's best Cantonese restaurant chain, Laurel, justly famed for the quality of its dim sum, has a branch with outdoor seating here. Be sure to be early. Sunday morning dim sum queues are long.

All kinds of contemporary art in a repurposed industrial area.

A classic fun park. It is a lot bigger than Hong Kong Disneyland and many would say a lot better. Divided into theme areas it has the usual fun rides. Try the flume ride but be prepared to get wet. The Playa Maya is an excellent water park built around a Maya architectural theme. There are shows all day and well into the night.

A big green forested mountain between Nanshan and Futian, crisscrossed by a huge network of trails. Wildlife on the tree-covered slopes includes butterflies, ferns, lychees, several endangered plants, and lots of birds, especially near the trailhead. Expect lots of stairs, as usual in Shenzhen, but also plenty of benches to rest. The 432-meter peak has great views of the skyscrapers in Nanshan and Futian, the mountains of Hong Kong's New Territories, and Shenzhen Bay. The main paths up to the peak get a good number of visitors, but the other trails are pretty empty. No food or drinks for sale on the trails, so bring everything you need with you.

Shenzhen is famous throughout China as a centre of design and the OCT Art and design gallery is where you go to see it exhibited. Set in a restored industrial building, the gallery holds regular exhibitions showcasing Shenzhen and China's industrial, domestic and fashion design.