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Photo: Mx. Granger, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
This is the original county town for the county which used to encompass Hong Kong and Shenzhen. There has been a town on this site since the 4th century. Much of the old town has been demolished and replaced by residential buildings in the "urban village" style, but Xin'an has still maintained the flavour of a Cantonese town throughout the ages with vibrant street life along narrow streets. The Ming Dynasty wall and gate remain magnificently preserved as do the Guan Yu Temple outside the gates, the naval and civil headquarters, a silver shop, an opium den, and a Qing dynasty government building. If you can find it, visit the 18th century "Flower Street" or street of brothels, a narrow alley with an 18th-century official stele denouncing the evils of prostitution. Just outside the town (to the southwest, near the temple) is an archeological museum. The various well-preserved buildings have information about the area's history, but almost all of it is in Chinese, though the museum has a booklet with information in English if you ask.
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中山公园
Shenzhen's oldest park. It was established in 1925 to honour the memory of Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan).
南山图书馆
The library's main branch is on Changxing Road. There are also seven smaller branches.
南山博物馆
This museum covers the history of Nanshan and exhibits archaeological relics excavated in Nanshan.
保利剧院
This is a more or less middle-brow theatre specialising in musical theatre and often hosting Russian Army theatre troupes. The futuristic silver egg-shaped building alone makes it worth a visit.
沙河高尔夫会
Another favorite with the locals. It has 27 holes plus a nine hole night course under lights. Gary Player designed the course.
深圳湾公园 Shēnzhèn Wān Gōngyuán
Actually a long series of connected parks on reclaimed land along the coast of Shenzhen Bay, stretching from the Shenzhen Bay Bridge all the way to the mangrove forest park in Futian. Attractively landscaped and well maintained with lovely walking paths along the water, a nice place for a stroll or a bike ride. The most popular section seems to be Talent Park (人才公园 Réncái Gōngyuán), which has beautifully manicured flower gardens and an amphitheater with occasional performances. On the natural side of things you can see mangrove trees, and from January to March lots of migrating birds including egrets, ducks, swallows, gulls, and stilts. Occasional piers let you take in the views of Nanshan's skyline and the New Territories in Hong Kong across the bay.