Geography and architecture loving tourists in Shenzhen shouldn't pass up the three large theme parks of replicated landscape and architecture located inside the Overseas Chinese City, a full-fledge community of tourist attractions and residences. The attractions there include Splendid China, China Folk Culture Villages and Window of the World, all must-sees in Shenzhen. Splendid China recreates 100 or so tourist attractions from all corners of China in miniature, including such sights like: the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, Tai Shan, the Three Gorges, Hangzhou's West Lake, Suzhou's Gardens, Lijiang's landscape as well as numerous pagodas and temples. Continuing the shrinking trend, Window of the World packs in 118 world famous scenic spots and architectural wonders from the Great Pyramids to the Sydney Opera House, allowing visitors to traverse the world at one site. The China Folk Cultures Village weaves into one tapestry the customs and traditional lifestyles of 24 Chinese ethnic groups. The site also includes mock-ups of their native villages, from Beijing courtyard houses to Shaanbei cave-dwellings. Minority performers regularly stage variety shows and artists make handicrafts on site. True to Shenzhen speed, all three theme parks are next to each other and allow you to take in not only the whole of China but also the world in a few days. During summer, there are many evening entertainment programs to partake in.

Lianhua Shan, in the northern tip of central Shenzhen, is a hit with residents and tourists alike. It's a readily accessible park that contains extensive areas of greenery. There is no admission charge and the fields of grass come to life at night with young couples and families. Many visitors take the easy-going trail for a 20-minute stroll to the top of the mountain that lends a splendid view of downtown Shenzhen.

Two favorite weekend destinations for locals are Dameisha and Xiaomeisha, two seaside resorts about an hour's drive from downtown and easily reached by bus. Both beaches lean against a hill and are surrounded by lush tropical forests. Dameisha is heaving with swimmers and surfers on weekends, there are also some colorful sculptures. All this and no admission charge. Xiaomeisha is Shenzhen's largest resort and it boasts an extensive white sand beach lying to the east of Dapeng Bay. It's well-equipped with beach and aquatic toys as well as accommodations and catering facilities. The RMB 10 admission charge makes Xiaomeisha slightly more exclusive than Dameisha.

If all the shopping and theme parks have gotten your muscles aching, then it would seem obvious that this city, which moves at a neck-breaking speed, is full of massage salons. Literally any massage salon you visit, whether at a street corner or inside a shopping mall, will be clean, professional, affordable and above all, immensely relaxing. Many complain that Shenzhen is all about money –but money, not necessarily a lot of it, can indeed buy you a lot of satisfaction in this land of material temptations.