In 2015, we visited my sister in law in Macau, and it was almost a month long trip. She had just moved there with her husband and two kids. I spent some time in Macau and then having safely deposited my wife and little son at my sister in law's place, I traveled by myself a little in that part of the world. One of my trips was to the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen, where I spent 3 days.
Shenzhen has a population
of over 10.3 million and is one of China’s largest and most modern cities. Till the
1970's, Shenzhen was just a small town, with a population of no more than
30,000. Given its close proximity to Hong Kong, in 1979 it was given Special Economic
Zone status by the Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping, and that saw rapid
investments, both foreign and local. What followed was a population boom and
enormous economic prosperity. This special status was given to Shenzhen as China
experimented with market capitalism. Today Shenzhen is one of the world’s
biggest manufacturing hubs. The city has been developed
for tourism too. It's amazing to see the transformation of this little town into a bustling metropolis in a span of just over 2 decades.
Window of the World is a
theme park that has replicas of some of the world’s best known landmarks, and
statues. Landmarks from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and
Australia are represented. The largest structure in the theme park is the 108
meter tall Eiffel Tower, which acts like an anchor point in the vast theme
park. An elevator takes visitors up the Eiffel Tower, for a great view of the
park’s attractions.
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| Paris' Eiffel Tower, Window of the World |
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| Cologne Cathedral, Window of the World |
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| Florence's Palazzo Signoria, Window of the World |
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| Moscow's Red Square, Window of the World |
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London's Houses of Parliament, Window of the World
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| Rodin's Thinker, Window of the World |
Splendid China and China Folk Culture Village is a
theme park that lies close to Window of the World. Splendid China has miniature
replicas of some of China’s best known landmarks, like the Great Wall of China
and the Summer Palace. Most attractions are in the scale of 1:15. China Folk
Culture Village has several Chinese cultural programs at different venues (the
Peking Opera show, the Tibetan cultural show, the Uighur dance…) and it also
has a fascinating Horse Fighting Show taking visitors back to the medieval ages
and the days of Genghis Khan!
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| Great Wall of China, Splendid China |
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| Beijing's Temple of Heaven, Splendid China |
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| Leshan Giant Buddha, Splendid China |
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| Nine Dragon Screen Wall, Splendid China |
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| Horse Fighting Show, China Folk Culture Village |
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| Donkey Ride, China Folk Culture Village |
Minsk World is a military theme park. It consists of a large
decommissioned Soviet aircraft carrier, with torpedoes, military aircraft and
military helicopters. The theme park opened in 2000 and is a popular attraction
in Shenzhen.
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| Minsk Aircraft Carrier |
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| Helicopter, Minsk Aircraft Carrier |
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| Aircraft, Minsk Aircraft Carrier |
Dafen Village is famous for its replicas of oil paintings by masters
such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Van Gogh. In the early 1990's, about 20
artists established themselves in this village and started this practice. The
project was a success and more and more artists set up shop. The village
currently sells both originals as well as replicas, but it is best known for
its low priced replicas. The Dafen Art Museum also lies in Dafen Village
and it showcases original works by local artists.
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| Replicas of works of art, Dafen Village |
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| Musicians, Dafen Art Museum |
Shenzhen Museum (New) is
located at one side of the Civic Center. The Grand Hall has a statue of Deng
Xiaoping standing in front of a car, viewing a large map of Shenzhen. The
leader was responsible for giving Shenzhen its Special Economic Status in 1979,
that led to its boom. The museum – which is spread over 3 floors - has exhibits
on Shenzhen’s history and culture (depicted through wax figures of citizens).
There is also a large natural history section featuring animals from all over
the world.
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| Great Hall, Shenzhen Museum (New) |
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| Photograph of Deng Xiaoping, Shenzhen Museum (New) |
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| Lantern Dance, Shenzhen Museum (New) |
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| Basket Maker, Shenzhen Museum (New) |
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| Lion, Shenzhen Museum (New) |
Shenzhen Museum (Old) has 13 galleries spread over 4 floors. Exhibits include
animals, traditional Chinese fans, Chinese calligraphy, stone sculptures, metal
objects and porcelain sculptures.
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| Buddha Head, Shenzhen Museum (Old) |
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| Tricolour Camel, Shenzhen Museum (Old) |
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| Fan, Shenzhen Museum (Old) |
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Vulture, Shenzhen Museum (Old)
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The Deng Xiaoping Statue at the summit of the Lianhua Mountain Park is a 6 meter high bronze memorial to the
leader responsible for developing Shenzhen as a Special Economic Zone.
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| Deng Xiaoping Statue |
KK100 is a large skyscraper with 100 floors and rises to a
height of 441 meters. The building houses offices, a luxury hotel, a garden and
several restaurants. At the base of the building lies KK Mall, a large shopping
complex, with luxury brand stores and restaurants. When it was completed in 2011, KK 100 was the
8th tallest building in the world.
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| KK100 |
Litchi Garden, a pretty garden with a lake, a bridge, and numerous
litchi trees, is a beautiful green expanse in the heart of Shenzhen.
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| Litchi Garden |
Luohu
Port is the entry point into Hong Kong from Shenzhen. The
complex houses the Shenzhen Railway Station, the bus stand and a major shopping
complex.
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| Luohu Port |
So I left Shenzhen totally impressed with what has happened in this metropolis is such a short period of time. Being so close to Hong Hong, I certainly feel visitors to Hong Kong can take a few days off and see Shenzhen to see what the modern China is all about. Tough not to be impressed!
