WHERE TO GO - Hong Kong - page 74

Day-trip to Shenzhen
Just over the Guangdong border, Shenzhen was China's first Special Economic
Zone, set up in the 1970s as the answer to Hong Kong. It has grown into a metro-
polis of more than 10 million people, with tightly clustered skyscrapers and some
of China's highest grossing industries.
Shenzhen's main tourist attractions are its enormous theme parks. One of them,
Splendid China (daily 9am-6pm), purports to show 'all of China in one day'. At
the weekend some Hong Kong residents head to Shenzhen for cheaper golf, din-
ing and entertainment, while shoppers visit primarily for the Lo Wu Commercial
Centre , with its 1,500 shops. Shenzhen is very easy to reach - the MTR trains
run all day (about 40 minutes from Hung Hom station). Visitors need a China visa
and must disembark at Lo Wu, the Hong Kong/Guangdong border checkpoint.
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden
A trip to Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden r [map] ( www.kfbg.org.hk ; daily
9.30am-5pm) is highly recommended. Reached by taxi or the 64K bus heading east from
Kan Sheun Road MTR, or heading west from Tai Wo MTR station, the farm sits in the
middle of the New Territories at the foot of Tai Mo Shan. KFBG was founded by the Ka-
doorie family in 1951 to provide support for immigrant farmers from the Chinese mainland.
It is best known as a centre for conserving plants and indigenous animals as well as con-
ducting research into sustainable agriculture.
Visitors can explore the greenhouses, the insect and reptile houses, the Wild Animal Res-
cue Centre, ecology projects and follow nature trails along or up the slopes of the farm. The
upper peak of the garden is named Kwun Yum Shan (552m/1,800ft) and takes about two
hours to reach.
Sha Tin
Beyond Wong Tai Sin, on the northeast side of the New Territories, lies Sha Tin District.
Two thirds of its population of 647,000 live in government subsidised housing and there are
30,000 people living in villages, crammed on slopes around the urban suburbs. Sha Tin is a
good stopping point before or after venturing into the New Territories countryside. Its
biggest attraction is the Monastery of 10,000 Buddhas t [map] , also known as Man Fat
Tze , set on a hillside above the main Sha Tin New Town. Follow the signposts from Sha Tin
MTR Station, along Pai Tau Street to the start of a 500-step climb to the monastery.