Shenzhen

Shenzhen is the astonishing megacity of the south of China, the techno-industrial powerhouse of the Pearl River delta that grew in four decades from a small fishing-and-farming border town into the immense, youthful metropolis of nearly the size of a small nation, with the tallest towers, the greatest electronics market of the world and the most innovative technology companies of the country. The first of the special economic zones of the modern reform of China, built across the border with the Hong Kong, it is the symbol of the Chinese miracle, its extraordinary skyline of the glass twisting towers, its vast industrial parks, its enormous shopping temples and its booming creative and financial districts spreading across the banks of the great river bay. The observation decks and the harbour, the electronics and the craft markets of the city, the parks and the cultural districts, and the theme parks of the region anchor the essential visits, while the city runs the ceaseless, ambitious, 24-hour energy of the young giant of the delta. Vertiginous, hyper-modern and utterly relentless, Shenzhen is the vertical capital of the Chinese technology age.

About Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a city in China. The city's documented population is around 17,600,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Chinese Yuan (CNY) and Chinese is spoken; the dialling code is +86. It is served by 1 airport in our guide: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.

The Market of the Huaqiang and the Gadgets of the Heights

Shenzhen is a colossal, ever-moving metropolis where the essential circuit moves between the observation decks and the tower districts, the electronics markets and the waterfront, with the theme parks, the museums and the coastal parks spreading the leisure of the town. The world-famous markets of the electronics, with their monumental drawers of the components, the smartphones and the gadgets, the great towers and the observation floors of the financial district, and the modern museums of the design, the science and the city anchor the essential visits, while the theme parks of the region, the beaches of the eastern coast and the high-speed corridor to the Hong Kong beyond the border fill the wider days. The whole city moves with the single-minded, breathless ambition of the Chinese reform era, its parks, its malls and its waterfront packed with the relentless energy of the young metropolis.

The Towers of the Centre and the Parks of the Theme

The climate of the metropolis is the warm, humid subtropical of the delta, with the hot, wet summers and the typhoons of the season, the mild, dry winters and the long, green months of the year, while the heat and the humidity of the city peak in the summer months. The yuan is the currency and the Chinese the language of the city, with some English in the international districts and the welcome of the border crossing. The towers, the markets and the waterfront make the core circuit, and the immense system of the metro of the city binds the whole metropolis together. Light clothing for the humidity, an umbrella for the rains and comfortable walking shoes for the enormous malls and the markets complete the preparation for the vertical city.

The Coast of the East and the Crossing of the Border

The famous electronics market of the town, the colossal market of the Huaqiang with its mountains of the gadgets, the components and the unknown brands that traders and the makers of the whole world visit, is the extraordinary emblem of the industrial Shenzhen, its mirrored towers and its labyrinthine shops selling the jaw-dropping range of the technology of the future, while the shopping and the observation of the great towers of the centre, with their luxury malls and their rooftop decks, frame the vertical metropolis. The museums of the city, from the spectacular modern museum of the design with its white galleries to the science and the city planning museums, anchor the cultural life of the young municipal wealth, and the theme parks of the region, with their replicas of the world monuments, and the recreated folk villages of the minorities of China, fill the leisure days. The coastal parks and the beaches of the east, with their mountains and their bays, give the natural balance, and the border crossing of the great port, the frontier between the city and the world financial hub of the Hong Kong, completes the essential picture of the astonishing, adolescent megacity of the delta.

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Country: China
Population: 17,600,000
Coordinates: 22.6393, 113.8107

Capital: Beijing
Region: Asia
Currency: Chinese Yuan (CNY)
Languages: Chinese
Calling code: +86
Country code: CN

Entry requirements for China

Visa status for travellers from common origins visiting China for tourism.

Getting to Shenzhen

Airports we list for Shenzhen:

Shenzhen Bao'an International AirportSZX
≈ 1 km from Shenzhen
MetroAirport busTaxi

Other airports in the area:

Cities in China

Other cities we cover in China:

Frequently asked questions

Is Shenzhen the capital of China?

No — the capital of China is Beijing.

What currency do I need in Shenzhen?

The local currency is the Chinese Yuan (CNY). Languages spoken in China include Chinese.

What is the dialling code for China?

The international dialling code for China is +86.

Which airport should I fly into for Shenzhen?

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX) is the airport we list for Shenzhen.

How far is Shenzhen from the nearest airport?

Shenzhen is about 99 km from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

Do I need a visa to visit China?

It depends on your passport. For the origins we track, the current tourism visa status is Morocco (visa required) and United States (visa required). Check the entry requirements tool for your own nationality.

Flying out of Shenzhen? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.