A Student’s Guide to Exploring Shenzhen: Places Worth Visiting

When I first arrived in Shenzhen for exchange at Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, I expected a modern city with good infrastructure and technology. What I didn’t expect was how much personality the city would have. Shenzhen is fast-paced, efficient, yet at the same time, there are pockets of culture, nature, and everyday life that make the city feel surprisingly comfortable to live in. Over the months, I explored different parts of the city with friends, classmates, and sometimes alone. Here are some places I think anyone visiting Shenzhen, especially exchange students, should experience.

1. Hua Qiang Bei Electronics World 华强北电子世界

While I say Hua Qiang Bei Electronics World (or as we like to pronounce in short as "Huatch"), I refer to the entire area that is Hua Qiang Bei, home to multiple shopping malls entirely dedicated to electronics. You can almost literally find anything you want here, from phone parts and components to drones, gaming devices, and gadgets you din't even know existed, or those that literally launch a few days ago, and there's a version of it available there already.

I kid you not, Huaqiangbei is absolutely a must-go. Walking through Huaqiangbei feels chaotic at first, but in the best way possible. Every floor has something different, and every shopping mall has a product segment that they specialize in, be it CCDs, or drones, or projectors, sound systems, and every shop owner seems to know exactly what they’re doing. What impressed me most wasn’t just the scale, but how deeply embedded technology and manufacturing culture are within Shenzhen itself. It made me understand why so many startups and hardware companies thrive here.

My recommendation:

• Go with friends and take your time exploring

• Don’t rush to buy things immediately, as prices may vary significantly across malls.

• Great place for tech lovers, photographers, creators, and entrepreneurs

Friends may not get me, but I've been to Huaqiangbei no less than 5 times, and I still continue getting fascinated by it. And while you're there, I highly recommend you to try the dim sum restaurant 繁楼 right down the street less than 5 minutes walk.

2. Huafa Snow World / Indoor Skiing

One thing I definitely did not expect in Shenzhen was indoor skiing. Huafa Snow World was one of the more unique experiences I had in Shenzhen. Personally, I love skiing, and if I had known that there was this here, I would have brought my own gloves and goggles. Unfortunately, I had to buy it here but luckily the price here is really affordable. Unfortunately, the price isn't too affordable, as I paid maybe around SGD$80 for 3 hours. Sounds ok? It's not. The 3 hours start from the moment you enter into the place, and you still have to queue up to collect the equipments, put your belongings into the locker, before entering into the ski area. Not just that, the place was absolutely buzzing with people. The crowd did not affect my ski as it was pretty spacious, but the queue for the ski lift took a long while. For 3 hours, I managed to do 3 skis on the intermediate course, though if you're good you can probably do 5 at least. The good thing is, if you come on a Wednesday, yes Wednesday, it's almost half of the price, so if you don't have class, do make sure to try come on a Wednesday.

Putting price aside, regarding the environment, its modern and well-maintained, and it’s a great change of pace from city exploration. I think whether you ski professionally or just want to experience snow activities casually with friends, it's genuinely fun. They have both snowboard and ski options, as well as 2 beginner slopes, and 2 intermediate/hard slopes. For exchange students especially, I think this is one of those places where the experience matters more than the activity itself.

To share on the process: You don't have to buy a ticket beforehand. You can go there to buy a ticket. Take note, the slope you can take is determined by the duration of the ticket you buy. Eg. 2 hours is only for beginner slope. If you buy a 3 hour ticket, you have the choice for both the beginner and intermediate slope. If you're not comfortable with intermediate slope, no one is stopping you from not using it, just buy the 3 hour ticket for the time. Likewise, 4 hours will give you access to the hard slope too.

Me and my friends took a didi from school, which is about an hour away. Once you buy your ticket, you would walk through a gantry with staff conducting identity checks. Make sure to bring your passport (most attractions do identity checks so try to bring your passport with you), but otherwise, I think they accepted that we use Singpass either way. Once you make your way pass that gantry, your timing officially starts. You will first queue up to collect your jacket, pants, helmet and shoes. Make sure to pick the size correctly otherwise you may need to re-queue. After you put them on, you will find yourself a locker, its free if I remember correctly, you will use your wechat app to unlock, then afterwards, go collect your ski or snowboard. Ski is collected from inside the dry area, while snowboard is collected in the snow area. I suggest you to use the washroom before heading out, it is not fun trying to use the toilet in full gear. If you're a total beginner and wondering which to try, i suggest the ski as it's easier to learn and get started. Make sure to watch some tutorials on Douyin or Tiktok, there are lots of tutorials out there. If you're a total beginner, please do not try the intermediate slope, as you need to take the ski lift, and it is a total chaos if you're not used to it, as you need to continue wearing the snowboard when you're taking the lift and you may even get hurt.

Once all that is done, you are ready to have fun!

Best experienced:

• On a Wednesday (The weekend price is too expensive for me)

3. Wutong Mountain 梧桐山

Of all the places I visited in Shenzhen, Wutong Mountain was probably one of the most memorable. The hike itself was physically tiring, especially if it's raining, but incredibly rewarding. The mountain gives you a completely different side of Shenzhen, away from skyscrapers and shopping districts. What made the experience special wasn’t necessarily reaching the peak, but the journey itself: encouraging each other while climbing, singing songs along the way, and simply spending uninterrupted time together. Even though my friends and I eventually turned back before reaching the summit due to safety concerns, it still became one of my favorite memories from exchange.

Things to note, we severely underestimated the time we would take to reach the top, or rather, there were too many routes and we couldn't figure out which way leads to where, as there were a few peaks and entrances as well. Do make sure to be clear whether you want to climb Small Wutong or Big Wutong. If you're looking to climb to the Television Station, it's on Small Wutong, where there are 2 routes, one that is further but less steep, and a shorter route, but very steep. To be honest, we took the further route, but it was steep to me too. We managed to make our way almost to the top within 2 hours, so maybe a complete climb and descend would be around 5 hours. We alighted from our didi at the Visitor Centre, which luckily had lockers. Unfortunately the Visitor Centre was really far from the route we wanted to take, so I think that added to our problems. I'm not too sure whether other entrances has lockers too, but if you don't need the lockers, do make sure to find an entrance that is as close to your route.

My recommendation:

• Bring water and proper shoes

• Start earlier in the day if possible

• Go with friends, the conversations during the climb make the experience

4. Wan Xiang Tian Di 万象天地

I was really surprised with this location. I came here by chance, when my friend from Thailand came to Shenzhen to visit, and she wanted to come here to 打卡. I later realized this place is where the iconic HAUS NOWHERE is, which houses the Giants Exhibition 巨人展.

Of course, the place is not just only that, instead the place blends shopping, cafes, restaurants, and open public spaces really well. Unlike traditional malls, it feels more open and relaxed, which makes it nice to simply walk around even if you’re not buying anything. What I liked most was the atmosphere, which was modern, youthful, and energetic without feeling overwhelming.

It’s also a great place for:

• Café hopping

• Dinner with friends

• Casual shopping

• Taking photos

5. Dong Men Pedestrian Street 东门老街

If Wan Xiang Tian Di represents modern Shenzhen, Dongmen represents a more local and energetic side of the city. This area is packed with food, clothing stores, street snacks, random finds, and crowds of people almost every evening. One of my favorite memories here was unexpectedly finding a thrift store with really expressive clothing styles. For the first time in my life, I bought clothes that felt bold and different from what I usually wear. That moment sounds small, but it reminded me that exchange is also about exploring different versions of yourself.

Dong Men Pedestrian Street is also where you can find the Mass Distributor Malls 批发市场. I found really nice traditional wear 唐装 at really affordable price just before Chinese New Year. They also have a mall dedicated to comfortable, trendy sleepwear, and all other types of fashion too. If you're looking for things to do, there's also an arcade here.

Best things to do:

• Explore without a plan

• Try random snacks

• Visit thrift stores and smaller fashion shops

• Stay until evening when the area becomes more lively

6. Longgang Happy Strawberry Farm 龙岗开心草莓园

Also another one of the more memorable activities I did in Shenzhen was going strawberry picking with friends. Located about 20 minutes from CUHKSZ by Didi, it was a really wholesome and affordable experience. What I liked most was how relaxing and flexible the place was.

There's:

• No entrance fee

• No complicated booking process

• No pressure to buy anything immediately

You can simply enter the farm, explore around, and pick whatever you want.

The farm offers:

• Strawberries

• Cherry tomatoes

• Sugarcane

• Even watermelon, though depending on season

You only pay for what you pick, and the prices were honestly very reasonable too, especially considering how fresh everything was. Aside from the produce, the farm also sells>

• Fresh sugarcane drinks

• Home-grown honey

For exchange students, I'd highly recommend this if:

• You want a chill weekend activity

• Travelling in a group

• Likes strawberries

Restaurants I'd Recommend

1. Fan Lou 饭楼

One of the nicer dim sum dining experiences I had in Shenzhen. The food quality was consistently good, and it’s a great place to go with a group, and the price is affordable too! Take note they close really early, at 9pm. If you're going for breakfast, VERY IMPORTANT, be there before they open. You can arrive at 855am, that's fine, the place is big enough to seat the queue that is there before they even open. But if you come after that, you'd likely need to wait a long while.

Perfect for:

• Light meals, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

2. Hong Kong Xin Fa Cha Chaan Teng 香港新发茶餐厅

If you happen to be in the Luo Hu 罗湖 area and wondering what to eat, or it's late at night, do make sure to give this place a try. It's a 24 hour Cha Chaan Teng, and the price is affordable too. They have a special menu for every day of the week too, but it may either be lunch or dinner depending on the day.

3. Tai Er 太二酸菜鱼

Probably one of the most popular restaurant chains I visited during exchange. The sauerkraut fish is flavorful, spicy, and extremely addictive. It’s one of those meals that becomes a group favorite very quickly.

Recommendation:

• Go with friends

• Pair the fish with rice

• Be prepared to queue during peak hours

Final Thoughts

What made Shenzhen special to me wasn’t just the places themselves. It was the people I explored them with, the spontaneity of saying yes to plans, and the little moments in between. Shenzhen is a city that feels alive, constantly evolving, and incredibly accessible for students. And for anyone heading there for exchange or travel in the future:

Don’t just visit the landmarks.

Build routines, say yes to spontaneous plans, and allow the city to surprise you.