Guanlan Central Park combines a whimsical tall blue castle, charming yellow houses, and non-powered playground equipment with a soccer field, winding streams, broad lawns, and a scenic hilltop corridor.

One of Shenzhen’s best features is this coastal promenade and park that flows along miles of reclaimed shoreline from the Futian Mangrove Ecological Park in the east all the way to Shenzhen Bay Bridge at the southern tip of Nanshan District.

For easy-access hiking in the heart of the city, make a beeline for the forested hills of Tanglangshan, just three kilometers inland from Shenzhen Bay.

Clamber up to the 335 meter-high summit of this wooded hillside park in Shekou and you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of Shenzhen Bay.