Ancient Days

Ancient Days

Don't let the Blade Runner-like skyline fool you. China's newest city isn't all glass and steel. Though Shenzhen City is barely three decades old, the areas outside the city are resplendent with examples of ancient Chinese culture. You'll want to take at least a day to explore the Longgang District, home to two examples modern and antique architecture existing side by side.

Like the rapidly disappearing hutong neighborhoods of Beijing, Dapeng Fortress -- an ancient city -- is a living museum. The old town contains homes, temples, shops, and courtyards that look pretty much the way they did when they were built over the course of the Ming (AD 1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. For the most part, the residences are occupied, the shops are doing business, and the temples are active houses of worship. Dapeng's ancient city is surrounded by an old stone wall, and entered through a series of gates built at the cardinal points.

Likewise, the Hakka Folk Customs Museum and Enclosures are an amazingly well-preserved example of a walled community. Now more a museum than anything else -- persecution of Hakkas went out of vogue after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, led by Sun Yat-sen, himself a member of the clan -- the enclosures still stand as an excellent example of an ancient community built with defense in mind. The Hakkas built their homes inside of an exterior wall, complete with vertical-arrow slits for discouraging unwanted visitors. Many of the homes inside the fort are still furnished, and visitors may get the feeling that the original inhabitants have just popped out for a bit of hunting and might come back any minute, crossbows cocked.