Treasures in Shenzhen’s Lotus Hill Park

Up a hill amidst a canopy of green trees and twinkling lights, dancers sway to the rhythms screeching out of a poor audio system.  Couples glide on an outdoor dance floor, ignoring the heat and humidity that’s fogging my camera lens and soaking my shirt.  Folks living in Shenzhen gather here, at Lotus Hill Park, once a week for some amazing ballroom dancing and other various shimmies and shakes.

   

Check out the video of the dancers here:

 

This big oasis of green in Shenzhen is known as Lotus Hill Park. Clinging to a hill, like a sloping Central Park, it’s the largest green space in the center of the city.

On a stroll up the wooded path to the top, we pass a Tai-Chi master teaching an expat businessman twice his size. As we get to the top of the hill, we see school kids enthusiastically practicing their English with their school groups.  Keep in mind, it’s the weekend.   One bold little boy comes over to chat with us and then inquisitively watches an old man paint Chinese letters on the pavement with a huge brush dipped in water.

Back down the hill, the dancers continue their lockstep moves.  I didn’t know the Chinese songs, but the smiles on their faces weren’t lost in translation.

Disclosure:  My trip to Hong Kong & Shenzhen was provided by the folks at Cathay Pacific & Shangri-La Hotels.  All views, writing, and photos are my own.