Shenzhen is a chic tourist city. Visitors can travel freely and quickly within a one-hour drive and appreciate the modern young city's beauty and ethos.

Tourism Industry

One of the most important and profitable tourist cities in China, Shenzhen is regarded as the capital of Chinese theme parks and tourism innovation. With sea, land and air checkpoints, Shenzhen has a safe, quick and convenient tourist transport network. Eating, living, traveling, shopping and recreation in Shenzhen are made easy because there are products and food available from around the world.

In 2010, 76.98 million people visited Shenzhen, up 15.67 from the previous year. Overnight overseas visitors totaled 10.21 million, leading the nation's main tourist cities. This was an increase of 13.86 percent over the previous year. Total tourism revenue was 62.8 billion yuan, including US$3.18 billion in foreign exchange earnings. The foreign exchange revenue Shenzhen earned from tourism industry was higher than most Chinese cities.

Scenic Spots

There are more than 100 scenic spots around the city, including man-made theme parks, natural ecological parks, coastal resorts, shopping plazas and historical sites. Overseas Chinese Town was one of China's first 5A-rated scenic spots, the highest national level.

Theme Park Capital

Shenzhen is famed as the theme park capital. The Window of the World, Splendid China, China Folk Culture Villages, Happy Valley and CITIC Minsk World theme parks are the epitome of a mixture of Chinese and world culture.

Beautiful Coastline

Shenzhen has a large number of coastal scenic spots, including Shenzhen Bay, the Mangrove Nature Reserve and a 15-kilometer coastal leisure corridor in the west and Zhongying Street, Dameisha and Xiaomeisha beaches, Sea World and Dapeng Peninsula in the east. The coastline along the Dapeng Peninsula was named one of the eight most beautiful coasts in China by Chinese National Geography magazine. Shenzhen has more than 20 public beaches, some of which are linked by seaside walkways.

Natural Beauty of a Modern Metropolis

OCT East, the national ecological resort occupying about 9 square kilometers, aims to provide visitors with an opportunity to escape from the bustle of city life and return to nature. Tourists can also feel tranquility at other places including Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, 944-meter Wutong Mountain, mountainside Hongfa Temple; Shenzhen Evergreen Resort, Waterlands Resort,Guangming Farm, Qiniang Mountain and Fenghuang Mountain.

Historical Sites

Shenzhen is not only a modern city with a history of reform, but also a city with an ancient civilization. New Stone Age ruins found in Xiantouling in Dapeng indicate that humans inhabited the area at least 6,700 years ago. There are more than 40 protected sites containing cultural relics around Shenzhen, including the well-known Zhongying Street, Dapeng Fortress, Qing Dynasty Hakka architecture, Song Dynasty Young Emperor's Tomb and the Tianhou Temple.

Star-rated Hotels

There are 154 star-rated hotels, including 17 five-star hotels. City hotels can accommodate 130,000 guests daily.

Travel Agencies

Shenzhen has 256 travel agencies, including 35 agencies providing international tours. Travel agencies have outlets all around the city, providing plenty of choices of itineraries and services for citizens.

Golf Clubs

There are 15 golf clubs in Shenzhen. The Mission Hills Golf Club, the first 4A-rated tourist resort in China, has hosted the Golf World Cup annually since 2007 and will host it for the next seven years. Shenzhen Golf Club, Shenzhen Noble Merchant Golf Club and Sand River Golf Club are to the west of the city center along Shennan Thoroughfare.

Shopping Paradise

Shenzhen is renowned as a "shopping paradise," featuring international luxury brands and local products. Western cuisine and local street food are widely available. A profusion of shopping malls and department stores in Shenzhen provide a pleasant atmosphere for shoppers.

With a developed retail network, there are more than 204,000 retail outlets, with floor space of more than 25 million square meters, 1.52 square meters per capita. There are nearly 500 stores with floor space of more than 5,000 square meters. Eight top national retail chains such as China Resources Vanguard have headquarters in Shenzhen.

Native Produce

Shenzhen's famous native produce include Shajing oysters, Nanshan litchis, Xixiang shrimp, Fuyong fish, Nan'ao abalone, Shiyan pears, Longgang chicken, Pingshan oranges, Xili mangos, Songgang preserved duck, Gongming roast goose, Guangming young pigeon and more than 150 kinds of medicinal herbs.

Food and Recreation

As a new migrant city and international metropolis, Shenzhen serves some of the best food in the world. With thousands of eateries, visitors can taste delicious food from around the world. Bar streets, including those in Shekou Sea World, Window of the World and CITIC City Plaza, are all good choices for pubgoers at night.

Major food streets

Bagua Road 1 Food Street

Bagua Road 1 in Futian District is home to one of Shenzhen's oldest food streets. It's a smorgasbord of authentic cuisine from Sichuan, Guangdong and Northeast China.

Yantian Seafood Street

Located in Yantian District in eastern Shenzhen, the food street is a half-hour drive from downtown and houses a dozen seafood restaurants with a sea view. They offer delicious and nutritious Hakka and Chaozhou cuisine at low prices.

Meilin Food Street

Some expatriates love it so much that they call it a "street-food heaven."

Leyuan Road Food Street

Restaurants on this street in Luohu District are the best choice for a big meal of seafood at affordable prices. Most restaurants are in the form of outdoor stalls.

Jingtian Road North Food Street

The Jingtian Road North food street in Futian District is new on the scene and its dozen-odd eateries are quickly gaining fans. Shunde Native Tianxin Restaurant is the best known.

OCT Food Street

Covering the pedestrian street and the themed bar street beside OCT Ecological Plaza, the food street offers delicacies from the whole country.

Major bar streets

Shekou Bar Street

Here's where Shenzhen's first Western-style bar opened in early 1987 when an expatriate opened the Snake Pit. Since then, bars of every style have mushroomed on Taizi Road and Sea World square.

Coco Park Bar Street

Conveniently located in the city's central business area, Coco Park Bar Street is a popular place for young professionals.

CITIC City Plaza Bar Street

An escape from the loud rock at most bars, CITIC City Plaza bars offer light relaxing music that harmonizes with the area's quiet ambiance.

Other bars

Yes Club

A favorite for singles. The bar provides note cards for pub-goers to write down their personal information and post on the notice board at the entrance.

Musibase Bar

Known as the heart of rock music in Shenzhen, this bar has a red-and-black color scheme and features rock bands. Pub-goers say it has already become a center for writing and performing new music.

True Color Club

A standout leader in Shenzhen's nightlife scene, True Color bars are famous for their house bands and singers, one of whom was Chen Chusheng, the champion of the 2007 "Happy Boy" national television singing contest.

Tourist and Cultural Festivals

There are more than 170 kinds of tourist and cultural festivals in Shenzhen, such as Shenzhen International Tourism Cultural Festival and Window of the World International Beer Festival. The Happy Valley International Magic Festival is one of the biggest magic festivals in the world, attracting top magicians from around the globe every year.

Shenzhen International Tourism Cultural Festival

Started in 2005, Shenzhen International Tourism Cultural Festival has become quite influential. Held from October to December annually, the festival includes multiple activities that may vary each year.

Shenzhen Golden Coast Tourism Festival

The festival is held in Yantian District annually in October and November. The festival has been held for nine years and was named one of the "Top 10 Festivals in China" in 2006. Well-known events include Dameisha Beach Music Festival, Dameisha International Kite Festival, and China (Shenzhen) International Boat Show.

Shajing Oyster Festival

The annual festival has been held in Shajing in December for the past seven years. Oyster banquets and art performances are held during the festival.

Window of the World International Beer Festival

Held at the Window of the World in July-August annually since 1996. The theme park sells beer from around the world, and tourists can drink their fill while enjoying performances during the festival.

Happy Valley International Magic Festival

A big event for the world's magicians. Held annually since 2000 at Happy Valley theme park in Shenzhen.