James Baquet

    IN 2004, Shenzhen chose its Eight Scenic Spots with the help of a team of experts and the votes of more than 1 million citizens.

    I have written about three of these already: Dapeng Fortress, Lianhua Hill Park, and Overseas Chinese Town. Wutong and Yangtai mountains and the Meisha beaches, while beautiful, leave little to write about. And Zhongying Street is not accessible to foreigners, to the best of my knowledge.

    That leaves only one. Hollywood has its Sunset Boulevard, New York its Broadway, and Paris its Champs Elysees. Add a new kid to the great streets of the world: our very own Shennan Boulevard.

    Running 28 kilometers through the three most central districts, Shennan Boulevard is lined with landmark buildings, verdant parks, and the “big three” theme parks. It connects the Gathering of Heroes and nearby Xin’an Ancient City in the west, to Curio World in the east.

    Elsewhere you’ll find the Civic Center (which houses the new historical museum), the old historical museum, the museums and monorail of OCT and the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park (the subject of my first column in December 2009). Litchi Park is there, as is the SEG Plaza, and Diwang Mansion — with its observation deck — the two tallest buildings in the city.

    In the one-year-plus that I’ve been writing this column, fully 40 percent of the places I’ve covered lie along the length of Shennan Boulevard. Take a drive and take a look. You can’t miss it.