The golf course aside, Shenzhen is home to a variety of interesting cultural features to visit and experience, proof that this thriving city is about far more than just hustle and bustle
1 Shop at Lowu Commercial City
You can't miss it; it's the big building looming over the plaza just outside the border terminal. A veritable hive of activity, it is home to hundreds of tiny shops run by tailors, jewellers, herbal pharmacists, foot doctors, dentists, star-gazing telescope salesmen, and, yes, DVD entrepreneurs. Ignore the hustlers and focus on wandering through each floor, and haggling with a smile. The variety of products on display is truly amazing. Particularly good is the art and the dim sum served up on the top-floor Tian Hu restaurant (but you need to book a table early). Prices are a fraction of Hong Kong's, and the quality gets better all the time. Don't be disturbed by people sidling up to you and squeaking, 'deeveedee!'; if you ignore them, they will go away. If you say, 'No thank you,' however, they are likely to think you mean 'yes'.
2 Dine (or wine) at the Shangri-la
If dim sum in a noisy restaurant is not your thing, then head for the oasis of civility across the plaza, which has recently been renovated. Prices are steep, but taste and service are excellent. Chilling out in the lobby coffee bar is fun for people-watching. If you are coming in later in the day, take the express elevator up to the top floor. The restaurant and bar, simply called '360', offers sweeping views of both sides of the border.
3 Take a taxi to the new Shenzhen
Ask the concierge to put you in a cab and head to the new heart of the city, the Civic Centre in the Futian district. It is the headquarters of the Communist Party and the city government, but it looks more like an opera house from the outside, with a stingray-like roof. Walk around and get a feel for the new, rich China. Wide, grassy boulevards create a feeling of not being in Kansas any more.