a day in Shenzhen

It is a nice walk because it is very varied and lets feel different atmospheres, even if – spoiler – it doesn’t leave much space for shopping.

But you won’t miss the food, promise.

MORNING

Shenzhen Bay Park subway station

walk along the bay: enjoying the park, the panorama of the Shenzhen skyline, the nearby metropolises and Hong Kong.
Breathtaking.

A mandatory stop is to reach the Overseas Chinese Town on the other side of the road: a well-defined area (clusters for professionals) where you can enjoy a pleasant contemporary masterplan experiment. Architecture and landscape are well articulated and studied in unison, to return surprising points of view, to impress the visitor. Indeed, it has been classified by the China National Tourism Administration as an “AAAAAA scenic area”.

And, last but not least, it is a very useful opportunity to stop and find a quick refreshment from the sultry heat. Unfortunately, there are no local / typical restaurants, leaving space for international proposals.

LUNCH

OCT – Overseas Chinese Town subway station

Continue waliking towards the north (walking or by metro if you wish, calculate your time) to OCT LOFT – a district dedicated to artistic installations of various kinds: in the open air, in special contemporary metal architectures or industrial pavilions in disused. Very similar and inspired by the post-industrial style of the artistic districts in the major European capitals (see Berlin, Paris, Milan, some Dutch cities, etc.).

As written before, the composition of this district is not very original or typical, but if you are hungry for contemporary architecture and in general for emerging artistic realities, you will appreciate it very much. Walking around a little bit, you can find interesting Cantonese restaurants or dedicated to more particular Chinese ethnies.

EARLY AFTERNOON

Shawei subway station

We stopped here by mistake.
But I still recommend adding it to the trip (or, if not this, at least another residential area).

It is the dark side of the moon, the other face of what you have seen before and what you are going to see. The neighborhood is modest, a bit poor, but it gives you the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the “megalopolis” that we see in documentaries, the city markets and the narrow streets filled with tiny shops full of food.

AFTERNOON

Futian subway station

Now the best part: if you can, take for rent an Ofo (if it isn’t failed yet) or Mobike – yes, do you remember? They are chinese.
Cycling throught the skyscrapers of Futian area is extremely relaxing and funny, but you have to be careful: they are mad driving. There are no rules, sudden crossings, guides against traffic. But I am alive, you can be able too.

There are various gems hidden among the buildings of Futian … the highest tower in Shenzhen (one of the highest in the world, the “Ping An Finance Center”); a BIG skyscraper rippling its surface with a wave, the very beautiful one by Hans Hollein you see above and so on. Bring your smartphone with you.

End of the day in Citizen Square, in front of the Citizen Center (or Civic Center). Scenographic parade ground but much more rigorous than the morning panorama.

Don’t do like me, and stay up to 9 p.m. to enjoy the spectacular light show, in which all the skyscraper of the skyline are involved with plays of light. Yes, it is beautiful also like that, with the interior lighting, but take a look at this video.

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