Enjoy a Hakka trip via Metro Line 16

The opening of Shenzhen Metro Line 14 on Oct. 28 has made traveling to Pingshan and Longgang easier. Shenzhen’s quest for an ever-more extensive Metro system continues as Line 16 started operation Wednesday, through which passengers can quickly get to more places in Pingshan and Longgang.

Line 16 has 24 stations. Themed “Hakka culture inheritance,” the line passes through several Hakka landmarks.

Part of the latest map of Shenzhen Metro lines. The dark blue line is Line 16. Image from Shenzhen Metro

Longyuan Station 龙园站

A five-minute walk south from this station, visitors will reach Hehu New Residence (鹤湖新居), also known as the Hakka Folk Customs Museum in Longgang District. Built in the 18th century by the Luo family, the Hakka residence covers 25,000 square meters. It is said that the area used to have great water resources and large grasslands which were ideal for cranes to rest, so it was called “Crane Lake” by the locals.

Hehu New Residence in Longgang District. Photo from WeChat account “longgangfabu”

Longdong Station 龙东站

A 20-minute walk southwest from this station, visitors can get to the centuries-old Datian Ancestral Residence (大田世居). Built in 1825 by the Chen family, the residence is a typical Hakka compound with three halls, several rooms, a pond and a grove. In recent years, cultural events, such as night markets and intangible cultural heritage demonstrations, have been held at the compound and its neighboring area which is known as the Datian Craftsman Culture Village (大田匠作文化村).

Datian Ancestral Residence in Longgang District. Photos from WeChat account “longgangfabu”

Pinghuan Station 坪环站

A 20-minute walk south from this station, visitors can admire public art at Pingshan Sculpture Creative Park (坪山雕塑艺术创意园) on the foot of Maluan Mountain. Covering 30,000 square meters, the park with litchi and waxberry trees is a multifunctional place for holding conferences, catering and art training.

Pingshan Sculpture Creative Park in Pingshan District. Photos from WeChat account “pingshanfb”

Visitors can also walk from this station to the Dawan Ancestral Residence (大万世居), a famous Hakka compound built in 1791. The Pingshan subvenue of the Ninth Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB) is being held at the centuries-old compound until March 3, 2023.

Dawan Ancestral Residence in Pingshan District. Photo by Liu Xudong

Pingshanwei Station 坪山围站

Passengers can transfer to Metro Line 14 via this station. Walk 800 meters southwest from this station, one will find Wenwu Temple (文武帝宫), which was built in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). This 512-square-meter temple complex was originally used by the Hakka people to venerate Confucius and Guan Yu. With the old architecture preserved, it now has been partly modified as a division of Pingshan Book Room (坪山城市书房) for locals to read books and hold cultural events.

With the old architecture preserved, Wenwu Temple has been partly modified as a division of Pingshan Bookroom. Photos from Eastern Cultural's WeChat account

Tianxin Station 田心站

This station is very close to Nanzhong School (南中学堂), which was built in 1931. White walls, green tiles, cornices and carved pillars reflect a distinctive Southeast Asian architectural style. The school was originally built for children in two local villages. Unlike other schools in those days, Nanzhong School accepted girls and even married women as students in the early 20th century. In 2018, it was renovated by Pingshan District into one of the district’s community libraries.

Nanzhong School in Pingshan District. Photo from Eastern Cultural’s WeChat account

Pingshan Station 坪山站

From this station, passengers can go directly to Shenzhen Pingshan Railway Station (深圳坪山站) to take a high-speed train to other cities or take Pingshan SkyShuttle Line 1 (坪山云巴1号线), an elevated rail line, to nearby spots in Pingshan, such as BYD (比亚迪) and SMIC (中芯国际).

Passengers can take high-speed trains at Shenzhen Pingshan Railway Station. Photo from WeChat account “pingshanfb”

Yanzihu Station 燕子湖站

A 15-minute walk north from this station, fair-goers can get to Yanzi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center (燕子湖国际会展中心). Covering 87,000 square meters, the center is an exhibition and convention complex integrating exhibitions, conferences, catering and events. Fair-goers can enjoy additional comfortable services at the Grand Skylight International Hotel Pingshan (坪山格兰云天国际酒店) located next to the center.

Yanzi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Pingshan District. Photo from Shenzhen Evening News

Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall Station 东纵纪念馆站

The station is near the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall (东江纵队纪念馆) built in 2000 to display historical documents, photos, veterans’ paraphernalia and a monument inscribed with thousands of martyrs’ names. Two 200-year-old houses have also been preserved. The Dongjiang Column of Guangdong People’s Guerrilla Force Against Japanese Aggression had participated in revolutionary battles in the 1930s-1940s.

Walking southward for 20 minutes from this station, one can also arrive at BYD.

Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall in Pingshan District. Photo by Yang Shaokun

Technology University Station

技术大学站

This station is next to Shenzhen Technology University (深圳技术大学). If visitors take a short northbound bus or taxi trip, they can then relax at Pingshan Wetland Park (坪山湿地公园) and Julong Mountain Ecology Park (聚龙山生态公园).

Universiade Station 大运站

This station is a transfer station for Metro lines 3, 14 and 16. In the north, you can go shopping and dining at Coco Park’s Longgang outlet (龙岗星河Coco Park) and Sam’s Club’s Longgang store (山姆会员商店龙岗店). In the east, Shenzhen Universiade Software Town (大运软件小镇) is a division of Shenzhen Software Park.

Universiade Center Station 大运中心站

After exiting this station, you will soon find the Shenzhen Universiade Center (深圳大运中心). The Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology (深圳信息职业技术学院), CUHK-Shenzhen (香港中文大学(深圳)) and Universiade Park (大运公园) are also near.

(Top) An aerial view of Shenzhen Universiade Center. Photo by Lu Ying (Bottom) A scene at Universiade Park. Photo from WeChat account “longgangfabu”

Some stations are near shopping malls, such as Holiday World (坪山益田假日世界) near Liuhe Station (六和站), Dream Center (仁恒梦中心) near Yuyuan Station (愉园站) and Baoneng All City (宝能All City购物中心龙岗店) near Shengping Station (盛平站), while some are adjacent to parks, such as Longtan Park (龙潭公园) near Shangjing Station (尚景站) and Longcheng Park near Longcheng Park Station (龙城公园站).

 Longcheng Park (top) and Longtan Park (bottom). Photos from WeChat account “longgangfabu”

The latest map of Shenzhen Metro lines. Image from Shenzhen Metro