Drums thunder over the Xinzhou River at the Dragon Boat Festival as painted boats race between Futian's office towers. Before Lunar New Year, flower markets open in every district, and families carry home blooms and festive goods for luck. Old customs keep finding room in a city that grew up fast.
Away from the skyline, painters copy Van Gogh in the lanes of Dafen, and hikers climb Wutong Mountain for views over Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Summers are long, hot and wet, with the odd typhoon, while autumn turns dry and sunny. A Local Friend can lead you through a door you would have walked past, into a painter's studio or a family kitchen in an urban village.
