Fairy Lake Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shenzhen (SZBG) is a botanical garden with multiple functions, including biodiversity conservation, scientific research, science education and tourism. It was first built in 1983 and opened to the public in 1988.

Although SZBG has not a long history, it has proved its worth with great scenery, sophisticated infrastructure, rich collections of living plants, diverse natural education and experienced staff. The number of visitors has reached over 4 million per year in recent years.

After almost two decades, the number of species conserved in SZBG has reached nearly 12,000 (the latest conservation checklist is in progress), scattered across 21 themed gardens and conservation facilities.

SZBG has conserved about 240 species of cycads, giving it one of the world’s leading ex-situ collections of these plants. SZBG is also the largest in terms of fern conservation in China, with its about 800 species representing more than one-third of all native fern species.

In addition, SZBG is leading the nation in the cultivation and research of the following groups, Magnoliaceae, Gesneriaceae, Hoya, Begonia, Plumeria, palms, Bougainvillea, bryophytes, Acanthaceae, aloes, aquatic plants and Araceae.