Shenzhen - see to believe
Shenzhen never ceases to amaze me! With my free access to the metro system, my mastering the use of DiDi rides and WeChat pay, every trip to Shenzhen is a discovery for me! Here are 3 more examples of the awesome architecture in Shenzhen!
Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport 深圳寶安國際機場
The airport is well connected to the city centre via Shenzhen Metro Line 11. The exit is directly linked to The Ground Transportation Centre on Level B2. Going up on the escalator is like gradually ascending a giant spacecraft!
The international departures, check-in, duty-free shopping, and airline lounges on Level 3 is spacious. looks calm and futuristic with perforated ceiling that shimmers like a starry sky. It feels more like a luxury gallery than a waiting area.
But the real head-turner is the main domestic check-in hall on Level 4! The most eye-catching feature is the ceiling. It’s like a giant, luminous honeycomb — each cell a tiny window for the sky. It feels like standing inside a beehive made of sunlight — warm, bright, and endlessly beautiful
K11 ECOAST Shenzhen K11購物藝術中心
K11 ECOAST is a massive coastal cultural and retail landmark in Nanshan District in Shenzhen. It’s easily reached by taking Shenzhen Metro Line 12 to Taiziwan Station (Exit B1 or Exit C) followed by a short 3-minute walk. It was opened in April 2025.
In front of enormous building featuring north and south wings is a landscaped seaside walkway that stretches for well over 1 kilometre
The outstanding feature of South Wing (South Pavilion) of K11 ECOAST is the "Pearl of the Sea" Rooftop Garden - a stunning rooftop terrace with a luminous white sphere woven from countless interlocking beams, like a giant pearl cage or an intricate seashell brought to life. When light passes through its open lattice, it looks almost weightless against the blue sky.
The views from the terrace is pretty awesome too!
The key feature of the north wing of K11 ECOAST is its "Art Ark on the Bay" concept, which highlights natural wood tones, green plants, and a 10-story glass dome featuring natural light and petal chandeliers. The striking atrium ceiling of the north wing of K11 ECOAST is a landmark "art-nature" shopping destination.
Longgang Wanda Plaza 龍崗萬達廣場
Longgang Wanda Plaza is China's first 4th-generation Wanda Plaza of which there are 529 nationwide! It’s designed to move from traditional retail to a micro-tourism destination with science-fiction features. Hence over 80% of the space is dedicated to experiential formats.
To reach Longgang Wanda Plaza, I took Metro Line 10 from Futian Checkpoint to Huanancheng Station (19 stops!). Then I called a DiDi ride to negotiate the 1.5 km to get there rather than try to find it on foot in the seething heat!
The Outstanding Architectural and Tech Feature of this Wanda Plaza is the “Sky Ladder" Escalator. It’s the world's highest and longest indoor commercial escalator - 64 metres long and 30 metres high.
The 2-minutes ride takes visitors from the atrium on the first floor through the "Eye of Heaven" Sky Ceiling to the sixth floor, to be greeted by the “Floating Planet” officially called The "Celestial Dome"!
According to my research, The "Celestial Dome" is actually a half-sphere mounted to the ceiling — but the ceiling above it is a giant mirror. The reflection perfectly completes the circle, making it look like a full planet floating weightless in mid-air. How brilliant is that! Not only that, but it also keeps changing colours and patterns!
Glass Skyway is a 77.77-metre suspended glass walkway on the 5th level
The Glass walkway offers a dramatic interior view, including the “observation elevator” in the centre. However, as it’s fully enclosed, there’s not much observation to be done from inside the elevator!!
