|
Located near the southern coastal area of Guangdong Province is the city of Shenzhen, originally called Baoan. South of the tropic of Cancer, Shenzhen is just 35 kilometers (22 miles) away from Hong Kong. Separated from Hong Kong by the Shenzhen River in the South, this city is bordered by Dongguan and Huizhou to the north, the Daya Bay on its east and the Lingding Sea on the western coast. A natural port city, Shenzhen is 160 kilometers (99 miles) away from Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province.
The City
Spread across an area of 2,020 square kilometers (1,252 miles), Shenzhen has a population of about 5 million people. The city is actually divided into three parts: Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Shenzhen City and Shenzhen County. The SEZ is the business and financial heart of the city which hosts businessmen and delegates from all over China and the world. Covering one-sixth of Shenzhen, the Special Economic Zone was created by President Deng Xiaoping in 1980. This economic zone is long and narrow strip of land totaling 327.5 square kilometers (203 sq. mi.) which starts from Beizaijiao in the east and ends at Anle Village in the west.
An important industrial base in China, Shenzhen is now the second largest economic zone in the country after Hainan Province. Shenzhen consists of six districts: Luohu, Futian, Nanshan, Yantian, Baoan, and Longgang, of which the first four are in the SEZ. With a mountainous terrain to the north and a beautiful coastal belt that stretches 230 km (143 miles), Shenzhen is blessed with an abundance of mineral and aquatic resources. This city has a subtropical marine climate with plenty of rain and sunshine. Shenzhen has an average annual temperature of 22.4° C (72° F) and a mild, spring, summer and autumn; winter is not too cold. The rainy season lasts from May to September with typhoons occurring in summer and autumn. However, due to the mountains in the north, the city is rarely directly hit by a typhoon.
Shenzhen Today
The 1990’s saw this city make remarkable economic progress and development by becoming China’s main base for implementing new technology. The growth of the high-tech industry in Shenzhen is due to the annual China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF). Shenzhen is becoming China's major export production base by exporting electronics, textiles, garments, foods, building materials, machinery and chemicals. There are eight commercial port areas in the city with the capacity to handle 30 million tons of freight goods every day.
Recently named the National Sanitation City, the National Garden City and the National Model City in terms of environment protection, Shenzhen has also been awarded the title Top Tourist City of China. Shenzhen boasts beautiful scenery, numerous amusement parks and many places of historical interest. The ancient temples of Jin and Sui Dynasties, the Haiguang and Lingdu Temple of Tang Dynasty, the Huaidu Temple of Southern Tang Dynasty and Lingding Island are just some of the many places of interest to visit in this fascinating city.
Splendid China and the China Folk Culture Village are two renowned theme parks in Shenzhen along with Safari Park and Xiangmi Lake, which is a big amusement park built on water. With its unique blend of beautiful beaches and a fast paced city life, Shenzhen is an undiscovered tourist haven that is the prefect destination for an exciting and fun family vacation.
|
