The reasons why you should visit Shenzhen, China

The city of Shenzhen is one of the world’s true megacities. Bridging the gap between mainland China and Hong Kong, it is hard to believe that just 40 years ago it was a rural farming community, made up of villages clustered on the banks of China’s Pearl River.

With its range of museums, burgeoning art district, and an impressive, diverse population of innovators and entrepreneurs, the city has a lot to show off. Here are the reasons why travelers should pay this Chinese city a visit.

It is one of the world’s leading design cities

Shenzhen became a UNESCO City of Design in 2008 and has been making its mark as one of China’s most innovative cities ever since.

Stroll the streets and you will find architecture that looks like it is from the future, as well as a number of world-class galleries, from an outpost of London’s V&A Museum to Shenzhen’s own Art and Design Gallery, the first gallery dedicated solely to design in China. Every April, the city also hosts a Design Week at the OCT-LOFT, a 37-acre creative culture park made up of leafy lanes and open squares with exhibition spaces, large-scale installations and alfresco coffee shops.

Inspiring ‘maker’ culture

Building on its former reputation as ‘the world’s workshop,’ Shenzhen has become a leading light in the modern ‘maker’ movement. Its residents have accrued considerable manufacturing and electronics know-how, ingraining a DIY mindset that has been driving progress and drawing attention worldwide.

It is a haven for book-lovers

Shenzhen's techy, but it is also a place for bibliophiles. In the heart of Futian District sits Shenzhen Book City, the largest book mall in China.

Here, you will find bookstores that never close alongside 24-hour ‘book bars’ where you can grab a drink and a book all night long. The city is also home to nearly 200 libraries, the pinnacle of which is the six-storey Shenzhen Library that can seat a whopping 2,500 people.

Easy to get to other places

Shenzhen is part of a cluster of cities across the Pearl River Delta. Travelers visiting this exciting city can also squeeze in trips to Hong Kong, Macao and Guangzhou, which are only a stone’s throw away, as well as other cities in Guangdong and beyond. An inexpensive, seven-hour bus journey can take you north, to experience the ethereal karst peaks of Yangshuo.

Shenzhen's rugged coastline and surprise beaches

Shenzhen is blessed with a rugged coastline and 23 beaches. Dameisha, the closest beach to the city (and consequently the busiest) is lined with coconut and palm trees, with hazy blue-mountains as a backdrop and views of Hong Kong across the ocean in the distance.

For a beach a little more off the beaten track, make the trek out to Xichong Beach. In autumn and winter, it is especially good for surfing.  Xichong is part of the protected Dapeng National Park, and rising up in the north is Qiniang, the second highest peak in the city. There is also a 10km hiking trail running along the coast.

Great for spas

This city of excitement and ambition can leave newcomers and visitors a tad frazzled. Luckily, inexpensive day spas have sprung up across the city. With a reputation for quality pampering treatments, Hongkongers often pop over for a massage. A spa visit in Shenzhen will leave you feeling reinvigorated and ready to take on your next adventure in bustling South China.

Read more: Visit attractions in Shenzhen, China

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The reasons why you should visit Ninh Binh one time during your life

Ninh Binh is an extremely traveler-friendly, diverse and stunning destination to visit on the tours of Vietnam. It is an amazingly scenic place that has plenty of interesting things to see and do. Is it enough attractive for you to travel there?

Beautiful scenery

Ninh Binh is also known as the Ha Long Bay on land for an obvious reason, it looks like Ha Long Bay but on land instead of water. There are hundreds of limestone monoliths topped by dense greenery that emerge from the ground, scattered around the city with rivers flowing through them and caves formed in them. While the mountains are in the west and northwest, the east and south have coastal parts.

Plenty of options for day trips 

If you arrive at Ninh Binh at a very early hour, there are plenty of opportunities to sign up for one or more day trips which can include the nearby pagodas, Trang An and Tam Coc. Also, there are places like the stunning Gothic Phat Diem Cathedral, which is a journey time of about 40 minutes from the city centre.

While it can benefit to stay in Ninh Binh for longer than 24-hours, for travellers with limited spare time on the travel schedule, there is the option to travel to this city as a day trip from Ha Long Bay or Ha Noi.

Gives you the chance to use the Reunification Express

While the train option between cities far away from one another is sometimes slow, uncomfortable, with problems and delays, this is not the case for Ninh Binh. Since Ninh Binh is only three hours away from Ha Noi, you should definitely visit there on the Reunification Express.

Convenient location

Ninh Binh is only 95 kilometers away from Ha Noi (about a 2-3-hour journey) and makes for a good first stop for those making their journey slowly from Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. You can even get here quite conveniently from Ha Long Bay. Catching overnight buses from Ninh Binh to other cities is pretty easy too, you can ask your hotel reception and they will help you out.

Explore cave systems

Vietnam has plenty of cave systems that are artificial or naturally formed inside the limestone mountains. Any boat tour of Trang An can include exploring the caves with eight in this region that can be toured in the boat. However, the caves do not give much head room with plenty of rock formations that are low and pointy. So, it is necessary to be cautious when making your way through some of the cave systems.

Delicious and unique cuisine

The last reason why you should plan to visit Ninh Binh is the food here is really delicious with mouth-watering dishes. Your wallet will be empty because there are many dishes which you want to try.
There are many tasty foods you should try including goat meat, Com Chay Ninh Binh (Ninh Binh rice crust), fish salad, Ninh Binh mountain snais, Ruou Can Nho Quan (Nho Quan wine drunk out of a jar through pipes), Nem chua Yen Mac (Yen Mac Fermented Pork Roll), etc. Some foods you can buy as a gift for your relationship such as Com Chay Ninh Binh, Shrimp Sauce or some local cakes.

Source Internet