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.
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欢乐谷 huānlè gǔ
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.
世界之窗
Travel around the world in one day. This 480,000-m² park has a beautiful natural landscapes and wonderful lighting at night. Inside, you can climb the 1:3 scale Eiffel Tower, go inside the Egyptian Pyramids, see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Mount Fuji, the Buckingham Palace and other famous landmarks. Inside Mount Fuji there's an amusement ride called Fast Fuji, where you snowboard down Mount Fuji and the chairs move with the movie. Inside Mount Rushmore there's also an amusement ride which is similar to Fast Fuji, and its name is Flying Over America, where you see the landmarks of the US on a floating chair. Every night there are spectacular dance shows based on themes of Chinese and world history. Hundreds of dancers perform on the enormous outdoor stage. The performance finishes with a procession and fireworks at 21:00.
雅昌(深圳)艺术中心
A large-scale multi-function art center. Don't miss the award-winning Artron Wall, a 30-metre tall, 50-metre wide wall of art books, which is said to be the largest book wall in the world and features over 50,000 art books.
何香凝美术馆; Hé Xiāngníng Měishùguǎn
China's second national modern art museum, after the National Art Gallery of China. He Xiangning was the widow of Liao Zhongkai, the leader of the pro-Moscow left of the Kuomintang during the 1920s. Liao was expected to become KMT leader after Sun Yat-sen's death but he was assassinated by gangsters probably hired by Chiang Kai-shek. He Xiangning then became an important leader of the leftist wing of the KMT and after 1949 stayed on in Beijing. Her son, Liao Chengzhi was a leading Communist and head of the organisation which controlled the area where the He Xiangning Art Gallery is located, Overseas Chinese Town (OCT) in Eastern Shenzhen. This is why the gallery was built as a memorial to her. The gallery has shifting exhibits mainly of avant garde and modern Chinese art. Some of China's best-known painters regularly exhibit there and it is definitely worth a visit.
阿尔卑斯冰雪世界
Skating, skiing, and snow tubing. The skating rink has irregular shape. The ski slope is quite short and not very steep, but there is a lift to take you up. Snowboarding/skiing equipment and clothing can be rented (expect to leave a deposit). The sledding slope is great for children. It is quite cold inside even in hot weather.
华美术馆
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.