CENTRAL PARK AND BIJIA MOUNTAIN PARK SHENZHEN

Central Park is Shenzhen’s biggest park. It is right in the middle of the city between Huaqiang Rd and the Central Futian axis. It runs from almost the border right up to the North Circular Freeway and the mountain range separating the former SEZ from the rest of the city.

It has a couple of noteworthy oddities.

On Hongli Road is one of the city’s two biggest flower markets the biggest is at Che Gong Miao. If you’re into horticulture, visit it. Note that unlike any other flower market we’ve ever visited, the fresh flowers come not early in the morning but during the late afternoon. 4:30PM is a good rule of thumb.

Also, and this might seem a strange park attraction to many, part of the city’s sewage treatment takes place in the upper reaches of the river which runs through the park. This isn’t nearly as offensive as it sounds. It’s been through quite a bit of treatment before it gets to this stage and some might find this interesting.

At the northern extremity of the park is Bijia Mountain, which borders on the North Circular Freeway. Bijia is a common name for a mountain in China. It means brush-stand, meaning the three-humped two-grooved stand which Chinese scholars use to rest their writing brushes. Take a look and it does resemble one. The mountain is heavily forested and has paths threading through it. You shouldn’t have too many problems climbing it and the views from the heights on a clear day are beautiful.

Bijia Mountain is a favorite of bird watchers. It is the intersection of several habitats and the variety of birds is exceptional. We have even heard one of our favorites, the crow pheasant with its golden wings and jet-black body, whooping deep in the forests of Bijia Mountain.

As in other mountain forests in the city, you may occasionally encounter monkeys during your climb. This doesn’t happen very often but monkeys are around and they sometimes wander into the streets of the central city. Be warned that they can be aggressive. Don’t look at them or engage them in any way. There are also said to be several pythons living in the park. We’ve never seen them.

Address: It’s big. Central Park runs from almost the Hong Kong border right up to the North Circular Freeway. It lies between Huaqiang Rd and the Futian Central Axis

Metro: Gangxia line 1

Buses: Any bus along Shennan Ave