Scenic coast and mountain ideal retreats

While Shenzhen grabs headlines as a tech-savvy city and an innovation hub, it is also a well-established tourist destination that offers myriad natural and man-made attractions.  

The city in South China's Guangdong province boasts one of the country's most beautiful coastlines — that of the Dongchong and Xichong beaches on the southern tip of the Dapeng Peninsula.

The coastline, stretching 4 kilometers, provides an ideal retreat from busy city life. It features mountains, headlands, caves, stone formations and rows of coral reefs. It is also a prime trekking trail, which takes three to four hours to finish, according to the website of the Shenzhen government.

The coastline was nominated by Chinese National Geography magazine as one of the eight most beautiful in the country, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

More than 900 meters above sea level, Wutong Mountain is the tallest mountain in Shenzhen and an ideal location for hikers and climbers.

With lush vegetation, babbling brooks and twisting vines, the mountain is home to numerous endangered flora and fauna, such as the spiny tree fern and python.  

More than 95 percent of the Wutong Mountain scenic area is covered in vegetation, which absorbs over 8,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and produces more than 6,000 tons of oxygen every year, according to the local government. This has earned it the nickname "lung of the city".

There are several routes to the top, which vary significantly in terms of difficulty. The broad road is a gentle climb, but requires a good five hours if one intends to go to the top and back, according to the Shenzhen government.

Spanning 480,000 square meters, the Window of the World theme park is a microcosm of the world's most famous landmarks.   Inside, there are 118 models of landmarks, including the pyramids of Egypt, the Arc de Triomphe of France, the Taj Mahal of India and Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The World Square, the main venue of the park, can host more than 10,000 visitors and features 10 of the world's best-known sculptures, according to the Shenzhen government.

Although Shenzhen strikes people as being a relatively young city, it does have some historical points of interest.

Built in 1394 by a general called Zhang Bin to resist Japanese pirates, the Dapeng Fortress in Shenzhen was one of the most complete military fortresses in South China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), according to the Shenzhen city government.

The best preserved area is the mansion of General Lai Enjue, who led Chinese troops in fishing boats to defeat better-equipped British troops in 1839. Other must-see spots in the fortress include the barns and the Tianhou Temple.

To honor the people behind the meteoric rise of the city, Shenzhen has built a theme park to honor and celebrate talent.

Opened in November 2017, the Shenzhen Talent Park covers 770,000 sq m and is the first of its kind in China.

It features various knowledge-themed landscapes that include sculptures, corridors and a wall of honor, as well as dozens of seminar rooms, lecture theaters and business centers, according to the Shenzhen government.