Discover China

In the first week of August I returned for my sixth visit to China, this time returning to Shenzhen. My work commitments at home meant that I could unfortunately only stay for a week, which is never going to be enough time to enjoy all that Shenzhen has to offer, and that I could not stay for the spectacular Shenzhen Universiade 2011 which commences today. However, it was a great week catching up with friends and again enjoying the friendly hospitality of the Chinese people, and of course taking in Shenzhen’s outstanding dining and shopping. This time I travelled directly to and from Shenzhen Airport on Hainan Airlines new direct service from Sydney to Shenzhen and Hangzhou, and it was excellent value for money with great service.

Shenzhen Bay Park, the longest coastal park in Shenzhen, has opened to the public. The 9km seaside park includes 13 regional areas for entertainment, sports, sightseeing and leisure. Find out more in the Shenzhen Daily article Longest coastal park in SZ opens.

This park features a glorious bamboo-covered mountain with great views from the pavilion on its peak – read more in James Baquet’s Shenzhen Daily article Cuizhu Park.

Guan Shanyue was a painter and educator of the Lingnan School of Chinese painting, which has a uniquely Chinese blend of local and foreign influences. Read James Baquet’s Shenzhen Daily article Guan Shanyue Art Museum to find out more about this museum which features two galleries dedicated to Guan Shanyue’s paintings.

In August I will return for another trip to Shenzhen – it will be great to be back! This time I will fly direct to Shenzhen Airport on one of Hainan Airlines new international flights to Shenzhen. As well as enjoying the hospitality of the five-star Hainan Airlines, traveling directly to Shenzhen saves time over my previous visits where I have had to fly to Hong Kong airport and then travel across the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) boundary to Shenzhen. From Shenzhen Airport there is then easy access to locations across Shenzhen following the opening of the extension of Metro Line 1 to Shenzhen Airport and other new lines and line extensions.