Discover China

Did you know that the Shenzhen district of Longgang has about 100 historic walled Hakka villages? These fortified towns were built mainly in the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, and unlike the more famous round “tulou” of Fujian, the villages in Longgang are all built to square plans. To find out more read James Baquet’s Shenzhen Daily article Hakka Houses in Longgang.

Jinggang Mountain, regarded as the Red Army’s birthplace and the cradle of China’s revolution, would be the subject of an application for UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage status this year, with the Jiangxi Provincial Government including the application in a list of nine major tasks for 2011. Read more in the Shenzhen Daily article Jinggang Mountain vies for World Heritage listing.

The ancient fortress at Dapeng is justifiably one of Shenzhen’s best-known attractions. But the area around Dapeng Town has two more excellent destinations, both of which are Buddhist temples. Read more in James Baquet’s Shenzhen Daily article Two temples in Dapeng.

A two-day tour to Kaiping watchtowers, Birds’ Paradise and Gudou hot springs departs every Saturday between 17 January and 31 March 2011 (except Chinese Lunar New Year 2-8 February 2011). Read more about the tour and see pictures of the stunning destinations it visits in the Shenzhen Daily article World Cultural Heritage tour in Guangdong.

A visit to Shenzhen has just become easier for Australians with Hainan Airlines introducing a flight between Hangzhou and Sydney via Shenzhen three times a week commencing from 19 January. To find out more read the Shenzhen Daily article New air route to Australia to open soon or for bookings visit Hainan Airlines. Hainan Airlines has also just been awarded Skytrax five-star status, officially becoming the world’s seventh five-star airline.