A quick 2-hour flight from Bangkok, Shenzhen is famous for its choice of super well-done knock-offs. But with world-class galleries, artist villages, amusement parks, mega-malls and even military museums, there’s a whole lot more to offer than fake designer bags.

Clamber around on a decomissioned Soviet aircraft carrier

Fans of military history should definitely make a trip out to Minsk World, arguably one of the strangest theme parks you’re likely to find in Shenzhen—trust us, that’s saying something. Minsk is the name of an old Soviet-era aircraft carrier, which is now docked here as a permanent exhibition space, showcasing various artifacts such as planes, helicopters and army kit. Visitors are free to roam around the flight deck and on certain floors of the vessel. For a small fee, you can even take a boat ride round the starboard side to get a glimpse of The Minsk in all its glory. Staff march around dressed in military-like uniforms, and stage musical performances throughout the day.
Jinrong Rd., Shatoujiao, +86-755-2535-5333, www.szminsk.com.

Ride the rollercoasters

Shenzhen’s answer to Dream World, Happy Valley is a massive amusement park divided into nine zones: Sunshine Beach, Shangri-La Woods, Typhoon Bay, Goldmine Town, Playa Maya Water Park (open in the summer only), Happy Times, Mount Adventure, Spanish Square and Cartoon City. There are more than 100 amusements here, including several large rides that are not for the faint-hearted. Our personal favorite is the River Rapids Ride, where you don a raincoat and get pelted by other visitors armed with water cannons as you float by. There’re also the obligatory street-side performances to watch out for, including acrobatics, extreme sports, break dancing and magic displays. Entrance is RMB170 for adults and RMB85 for children over 1.1 meters tall.
Overseas Chinese Town, Nanshan District, +86-755-2694-9184, sz.happyvalley.cn

Go nuts for knickknacks

Give your home a revamp by heading to mega mall complex Yizhan Centre for some stylish knickknacks and decorative items. These large multi-level shopping towers have virtually everything, from cushions, lamps, crockery and accessories to whimsical pieces, such as a life-sized horse sculpture donning a lampshade as a hat. Be sure to keep your eye on the prize because you can easily get lost in the maze of shops. Unlike Luohu, shopkeepers here are much more friendly and easygoing, but be sure to haggle down inflated prices.
Yizhan Centre, Meiyuan Rd., Luohu District, www.yizhanzx.com.

Enjoy a taste of Europe

You could lose yourself for days at OCT East—a massive entertainment theme park covering over nine kilometers of lush greenery in Dameisha, a beachy resort town in eastern Shenzhen. Combining two theme parks, three “scenic” towns recreating historic European towns (hence the full name: Overseas Chinese Town), and four resort hotels, a temple and an ancient Mandarin mansion to boot. For a break from the kiddie rides and swan-shaped paddle boats, go for a game of golf at one of the two 18-hole golf courses, take a dip in the onsite hot springs or unwind with a steaming cup of Chinese tea surrounded by a tea plantation inside the Tea Stream Resort Valley.
OCT East, East Dameisha, Yantian District, +86-755-8888-9888, www.octeast.com.

Get lost in geek heaven

SEG is the biggest electronics mall in the area. Be warned that means there’ll be a lot of hawkers out front determined to sell you pirated software and laptops. Once inside, you’ll find a large variety of more genuine products. The first two floors sell electronic components like switches, tapes and conductors—so stay away unless you’re a serious nerd. Instead, head up to the third to eighth floors for laptops and computer accessories like hard drives, memory sticks, GPS receivers and MP3 players. On the fourth floor, you’ll find products from big brand names like Samsung and Sony. Be warned: they aren’t necessarily as cheap as you’d expect. Don’t forget to bargain, bargain, bargain.
46 Huaqiang Bei Lu, Futian

Get a portrait made

If your walls at home are looking plain, hop in a cab and head out to the Dafen Art Village. Consisting of several blocks lined with galleries and workshops (some of which serve excellent coffee), this is the place to come for oil paintings for just about any occasion. You’ll find many reproductions of modern Chinese artworks as well as abstract pieces, replicas of works by everyone from Da Vinci to Liechtenstein, paintings suitable for kids’ bedrooms and landscapes. Don’t see something you like? You can have a painting commissioned based on a photograph or picture. Prices are extremely reasonable too.
Longgang, Buji (say “Dafen Youhua Cuun” to your taxi driver; it should take about half an hour from Luohu in a cab).

Sink a couple of pitchers

Local beer Kingway is brewed in Shenzhen, and unusually for a Chinese beer, a) there’s no formaldehyde in it and b) it’s drinkable. And at this open-air beer garden behind the brewery itself, the beer is incredibly cheap and sold by the pitcher. It’s a beer garden-cum-hawker center, with some decent basic food available to those who want it—but the beer definitely takes pride of place in between the satay sticks and the dice games. Getting there is a taxi ride and a bit of luck, as it’s actually in a large open space surrounded by buildings.
1 Buxin Dongchang Lu, Luohu, +86-755-2551-6328

Soak up some culture

A quintessential part of the OCT Contemporary Art Terminal (O-CAT), this gallery is located right next to the renowned He Xiangning Art Museum. The 3,000 square-meter space, with a modern exterior made of hexagonal glass steel, was renovated from an old warehouse, and is one of China’s most prominent venues to showcase cutting-edge design ideas.
9009 Shennan Rd., Overseas Chinese Town, Nanshan District, +86-755-3399-3222, www.oct-and.com.

Get your drink on

A shopping complex in the city center, Coco Park is one of the hippest spots in town. Besides countless shops and restaurants, the entire east side of Coco is a bar street with massive open-air drinking areas, popular among youngsters and expats in town. You’ll have no problem finding bars of different styles and vibes; get some friends together and there will be a sizzling party that goes from a quiet post-dinner catch-up to after-midnight mayhem.
Fuhua 3rd Rd., Futian District.

Essentials

Thai Air Asia (www.airasia.com) flies from Bangkok to Shenzhen daily. A roundtrip ticket is from B8,900.