Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park Run down Relic or Hidden Charm?

Shenzhen Garden and Expo Park or Yuanboyuan (深圳国际园林花卉博览园) is an old park in the Futian district that a lot of readers may not have heard of before. Now this may not be as large or clean as Lianhuashan Park, or have the views provided by Bijiashan Park or even be as green as Central Park, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth visiting. In fact quite the opposite, this is exactly why it’s worth visiting.

This park is a feast of nature / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

Serene nature / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

Lots of lovely paths to walk / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

Now I must start by saying this is without doubt my favourite park in SZ, and I’ve been to all of them in my time here (many written about for Shenzhen Party). I really love a good walk in the park to clear my head and refresh myself from the hectic city life. Now as SZ is a city of parks it can be difficult to choose which one to go to, especially with each district having a large and well maintained one to frequent. The most obvious choice would be the local one to wherever you live, since going to park shouldn’t seem like a chore or hassle. But if you wanted to make more of an effort and see a hidden gem then please read on.

This is a park full of surprises / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

Things to see at every turn / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

A park with multiple ‘themes’ / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Now at first glance this park will seem worn out, dated and a bit dirty. And you’d be correct. It does need a little bit of love. But I think this gives it a charm and character. Too many parks in Shenzhen appear pristine and fake, this is a real urban park. An expo park is a park which has mini versions of other places. So this park has lots of little theme area, for example, a Shanghai style garden, or a Suzhou style area. While all of these are not entirely accurate, the Shenzhen one doesn’t remind me SZ at all, they do give a little taste of the rest of China and break up the ordinary trees, grass, trees, you get in some other places. There are also lots of statues and sculptures dotted around, from a giant face which is perfect for a selfie, to classical style females, and all those in between. There’s even a random ship that seems to serve no purpose other than just being there

Giant random statues add to the parks charm / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

As this is an /expo park’ there are miniatures of different things / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

The worn out look adds to its character / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

There is a great Buddhist pagoda in this park too, and if you go early enough in the morning you’ll see and hear the local monks singing and worshiping here, makes for nice walking music! It’s at the top of some steep stairs so some effort is involved, like anything else in life. But the effort is worth it as the pagoda is quite some sight indeed.

Large pagoda dominate the skyline here / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

Beautiful contrasting colours / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

Need to know

Now this park can be quite easy to get lost in, so make sure you remember which exit you choose to enter and exit from, because there are 4, north, south, east and west. There are many sign posts and maps in the park so you’ll be ok, but just as a precaution. For example follow the signs for south gate (if that’s the one you choose to exit from). Also bring water with you as there won’t be anywhere to buy it when you’re walking around (there is a shop by the south gate but its higher prices) and bring bug spray because you WILL get bitten.

Large park but it is well signposted with lots of information / Image courtesy of Joe Macpherson

Want to go?

Zhuzilin metro station exit B2, and walk forward for around 10 mins.

Can get bus 21,26,101,113,121,204,209,210,223,232,234,245,327,338,m372,m391,m433,m448,m488 to Yuanboyuan The bus stop is right outside South Gate .

Address

8002 Shennan Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区深南大道8002号 深圳国际园林花卉博览园

For more information about things to do and see in Shenzhen and beyond, keep following the Shenzhen Party official WeChat account for more articles, or click the links below for past articles.

You can also connect with me directly if you have any questions

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Want to read about more cool and interesting places in Shenzhen? Here are some links to some other places you can explore and enjoy. And please keep following for more updates about wonderful Shenzhen to explore.

• Meilin Mountain, The City Hike
• Lianhuashan Park
• Shenzhen Central Park
• Shenzhen Talent Park
• Expat Family Life in China: Park Adventures
• Honey Park – A Sweet Escape from The City
• A Park for the People
• World Famous Art village in Shenzhen
• Baishilong Music Park: Making Music in Longhua
• Evergreen Eco Resort in Nanshan