A splendid day out

Splendid China is one of Shenzhen’s most popular and long-lasting attractions, it has been entertaining locals and tourists alike for 30 years. Featuring regularly on Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet things to do as well as most other online guides for searches such as ‘things to do in Shenzhen’.  Often overshadowed by its neighbor ‘window of the World’ I feel ‘Splendid China’ is deserving of your time and well worth a visit. Located nearby OCT metro station this is easily accessible and can be gotten to no-matter where you live in the city.  The area it covers is quite large so expect a lot of walking in order to cover and see everything.  You can also get the golf buggy shuttles around, which pick up and drop off at designated locations around the park

 

Splendid China is an amusement park of sorts, It is the world’s largest and most comprehensive miniature park, reproducing nearly 100 famous tourist attractions in China.  You will be able to traverse the whole of China in just a few hours. Landmarks such as the ‘Great Wall of China’ ‘Potala Palace’, ‘West Lake’, ‘Terracotta Warriors’ and much much more are all on display here in miniature form for you to see.

I’ve been lucky enough to see many of these in real life and the replicas are truly excellent.   The detail on these models is incredible and you really do get a sense of what the real life one would look like, often the models have miniature people too in traditional costumes so you get a sense of what daily life would have been like in the past.  The area is very green with lots of hills and grassy areas, making this feel like a nice stroll in the park.  It is well signposted too, pointing you in the right direction so that you don’t miss anything.

 

Connected to ‘Splendid China’ is the ‘China Folk Village’.  Much like its cousin it houses replicas, this time they are copies of different houses or buildings from the various villages and ethnic groups throughout China. These are not miniature but full-size replicas and the attention to detail is excellent.  The architecture style, and props give a good sense of what these villages look like.  You can see buildings from Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou and many more.  Each one comes with an information board that explains what it is and where it comes from, this is in English.

Most of the villages come with a staff member who will demonstrate local music or crafts, you can also try these if you wish.  Each village will have a performance for you to watch too, these are every 2 times a day.

There are also the ‘main’ performances that feature things such as horseback riding, oriental dress shows and evening party.  The times and locations of these performances are dotted around on the various maps throughout the park。 Some of these go on for an hour and are most definitely worth your time to include during your visit here.

 

There are lots of activities here for the family too, the kids can go on some theme park style rides, and there is even a zip-line for the adults to try.  You can take a scenic boat trip down the river too.  Numerous snack shops and restaurants are here, although it would be a good idea to being water and snacks with you.  Benches and rest stops are almost everywhere and the toilets are clean and convenient to find.

Key Details

Ticket prices

Adult ticket is 220 RMB (includes both areas and all shows)

Child 1.2M-1.5M is half price

Child under 1.2M is free

Opening hours

10:00 – 21:30
Note: 1. Opening time is half an hour earlier during weekends and holidays.

How to get there

Take metro Line 1 (Luobao Line), and get off at Huaqiaocheng (OCT) Station. Get out from Exit D, and walk east to the destination.
2. Take bus 21, 26, 32, 79, 101, 113, 123, 204, 209, 222, 223, 234, 323, 324, 328, 365, 369, 373, 383, 390, M398, M433, M435, M487, N4, N6, or PJ17 to Jinxiu Zhonghua (Splendid China – Folk Culture Villages).

No. 9005, Shennan Avenue, Nanshan District, Shenzhen. (深圳市南山区深南大道9005号)

 

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