Dapeng Peninsula: The Cleanest Sea and the Most Beautiful Coastline

If you only ever circle between Shenzhen’s office towers and shopping districts, it’s hard to imagine that this megacity hides a stretch of pristine mountains and sea right on its edge. The Dapeng Peninsula sits at Shenzhen’s southeastern tip, surrounded by water on three sides, with seawater so clear it’s almost unreal, and a coastline that shows barely a trace of commercialization. One section, Dongxichong, has even been named by Chinese National Geography as one of the eight most beautiful coastlines in China.

This post brings together five places I’ve returned to again and again: from a hardcore hiking traverse to easygoing seaside spots that are perfect for bringing along your parents, partner, or friends. Ranked roughly from most to least physically demanding, they go: Daluqiang, Dongxichong, Dayanding, and then the nearly effort-free Luzui Villa and Shenzhen Observatory. I’ll go through them one by one.

The Dongxichong Traverse

Overview

• Location: Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen (starting at Dongchong)
• Duration: a full day (round trip from downtown Shenzhen in one day)
• Getting there: bus, taxi, or self-drive all work
• Cost estimate: around ¥100 (per person, transport + food)
• Physical demand: 4 stars
• Suitable for: people with some fitness base
• Season and weather: extremely easy to get heatstroke in summer, best to go between October and the following April
• Main highlights: stunning mountains, sea, and coastline; the sense of accomplishment from challenging yourself; listening to an electric guitar performance at the cliff’s edge; a close-up view of the Shenzhen Observatory

A stunning coastline. This Dongxichong route truly lives up to the title of “most beautiful coastline.” The half-mountain, half-sea scenery is genuinely breathtaking. Before coming, I never imagined Shenzhen could have such pristine mountains and sea—the whole route shows almost no trace of commercialization, and the water is crystal clear. The photos below all came straight out of an iPhone 12 mini; seeing it with your own eyes is far better than any photo, and it’s well worth experiencing in person.

The sense of accomplishment from challenging yourself. This route isn’t a standard tourist trail but a pristine hiking traverse. Though it’s rated beginner-level, it’s still quite a challenge for those without hiking experience: beyond the test of stamina from the long trek (about 5 hours), the path is rough too—you have to scramble up and down large reef rocks along the coast, and grip ropes and chains to climb up and down cliffs. For a hiking novice, completing the entire route is genuinely rewarding.

Listening to an electric guitar performance at the cliff’s edge. Along the hike, beyond the scenery and the resupply points, what moved me most was a singer-guitarist at the cliff’s edge. When you’re utterly exhausted and the sea breeze carries the sound of “Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies” on electric guitar from up ahead—that kind of emotion is probably something only being there can capture. It was the most delightful surprise of the whole route, and I stood listening for a long time before I was willing to move on. It was during the pandemic at the time, and since speedboats couldn’t go out to sea, the singer’s gear had been floated over on a board across the water—quite romantic, really.

A close-up view of the Shenzhen Observatory. As you near the end at Xichong, you’ll reach the start of the Shenzhen Observatory’s boardwalk, which leads straight up to the observatory. The boardwalk has a superb view, with a vast expanse of sea taking it all in—whether the openness facing the ocean, the hillside facing the observatory, or the half-mountain, half-sea views on either side, it’s beautiful from every angle. After my first visit I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I’ve been back many times since.

If you’re into astronomy, you can also get a close-up look at the telescope. After reading The Three-Body Problem, it gives off a bit of a “Red Coast Base” vibe.

There are two more things I haven’t experienced myself but are worth mentioning: the area near the Xichong observatory is a dark-sky preserve (no light pollution), and the night sky is said to be gorgeous; at night there are fireflies nearby, and if you’re lucky you might even catch the “blue tears” bioluminescence at Xichong.

Tips

Things to prepare in advance:

1. Bring your own lunch—steamed meat buns, rice balls, and the like are recommended; dry snacks like Snickers don’t fill you up enough
2. A pair of hiking boots (the ¥399 ones from Decathlon are plenty); good non-slip shoes greatly reduce the chance of injury
3. A pair of gloves—gripping the ropes will be much more comfortable
4. A reasonable amount of water—there are resupply points along the way where you can buy more, so no need to carry too much

Itinerary:

1. Veteran hikers: just search “Dongxichong Traverse” in the Foooooot (两步路) app, and take transport to the Dongchong starting point (navigate to “Dongchong Community Service Station”)
2. First-time hikers: it’s not advisable to go on your own the first time—find a guide to lead the way (search “Dongxichong Traverse Day Trip” on Meituan or Ctrip) and just follow the guide’s arrangements

Dayanding

Overview

• Location: Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen
• Duration: about 4 hours of hiking; a full day round trip from downtown Shenzhen
• Getting there: take transport to Yangmeikeng, then a shuttle bus / speedboat / walk along the coastal Luzui Avenue to the trailhead
• Cost estimate: around ¥100 (per person, transport + speedboat ticket + snacks)
• Physical demand: 3 stars
• Suitable for: people with some fitness base
• Season and weather: cool seasons (heatstroke comes easily in summer); the view is best under clear skies
• Main highlights: the most beautiful half-mountain, half-sea viewing platform; challenging Dapeng’s second-highest peak

The most beautiful half-mountain, half-sea viewing platform. The best scenery at Dayanding is at Viewing Platform No. 3, with a very open vista taking in both mountain and sea at a glance—great for photos too. Here I’m only posting scenery shots; if you want the kind of pretty portrait shots, search “Dayanding Viewing Platform No. 3” on Xiaohongshu.

Challenging Dapeng’s second-highest peak. From a hiking standpoint, Dayanding stands at 800 meters, second only to Qiniang Mountain on the Dapeng Peninsula. Walking round trip from Yangmeikeng to Dayanding involves about 1,500 meters of total elevation gain, which is a real test of stamina—anyone who enjoys exercise might want to come take on the challenge.

Tips

1. First take transport to “Yangmeikeng”
2. There are three ways to get from Yangmeikeng to the trailhead:
   • Speedboat: tickets are sold all along the roadside; once you’ve bought one, board at the designated dock, and after getting off, navigate to “Luyan Scientific Survey Trail” and walk there
   • Sightseeing shuttle: head toward the greenway (there’s only one road, so it’s easy to find); there’s a shuttle ticket booth at the greenway entrance—buy a ticket, board, and remember to tell the driver to drop you at the Dayanding entrance; even if you miss the stop, just navigate to “Luyan Scientific Survey Trail” after getting off and walk there—it’s not far
   • On foot (not really recommended): just navigate to “Luyan Scientific Survey Trail” and walk—about 5 km, one hour; Dayanding itself is already quite demanding, so it’s better not to burn too much energy on this stretch
3. Once at the trailhead, head straight up—there’s only one path, so you won’t get lost. If you don’t have the stamina, there’s no need to summit: the view from Viewing Platform No. 3 is already the best, and going higher isn’t really worth it
4. After the climb, return the way you came

Daluqiang

Overview

• Location: Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen
• Duration: about 9 hours of hiking; a full day round trip from downtown Shenzhen
• Getting there: bus to Nan’ao Center, then a chartered ride to the trailhead
• Cost estimate: around ¥100 (per person, transport + food)
• Physical demand: 5 stars
• Suitable for: people with a hiking base
• Season and weather: cool (to avoid heatstroke), relatively clear weather (rain makes it dangerous)
• Main highlights: stunning mountains, sea, and coastline; challenging yourself; sunset from the summit

Stunning mountains, sea, and coastline. Daluqiang’s scenery is overall similar to Dongxichong’s—both feature half-mountain, half-sea beauty—but here there are fewer people and even cleaner water. Along the traverse you’ll also pass the Daluqiang lighthouse, which makes for especially photogenic shots. The few photos below were taken by a teammate with a DSLR.

Challenging yourself. From a hiking standpoint, the route we took was Youganwan → Daluqiang → Touya → Xichong, which includes coastline, river-tracing, and ridgeline sections, and is overall quite difficult (some people traverse in reverse from Xigong Village, which involves far less elevation gain and no river-tracing, making it considerably easier). Below is the Foooooot (两步路) track for this route—the elevation gain is only just over five hundred meters, but more than half of it is tracing upstream, which makes it extremely tough going.

The coastline requires clambering over all sorts of large rocks, some of them very high—decidedly unfriendly to anyone with a fear of heights. The river-tracing section is even harder than the coastline: covered in moss and pools, and very slippery. The final ridgeline and the descent both come down to sheer willpower, and we barely reached the foot of the mountain by nightfall. This was probably the most grueling hike I’ve ever done.

Sunset from the summit. By the time I reached the summit, I had no energy left to appreciate the sunset, but my teammates took some beautiful photos up there, which I’ll share with you.

Tips

Things to prepare in advance:

1. Bring your own lunch—steamed meat buns, rice balls, and the like are recommended; dry snacks like Snickers don’t fill you up enough
2. A pair of hiking boots (the ¥399 ones from Decathlon are plenty); good non-slip shoes greatly reduce the chance of injury
3. A pair of gloves—gripping the ropes will be much more comfortable
4. A reasonable amount of water—there are almost no resupply points along the way

Itinerary:

1. Veteran hikers: just search “Daluqiang” on Foooooot (两步路) and pick whichever route you like
2. First-time hikers: going on your own is not advisable

Luzui Villa · The Mermaid Cave from The Mermaid

Overview

• Location: Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen
• Duration: about 2 hours of sightseeing; a full day round trip from downtown Shenzhen
• Getting there: take transport to Yangmeikeng, then a shuttle bus / speedboat / walk to Luzui Villa
• Cost estimate: around ¥100 (per person, transport + speedboat ticket + snacks)
• Physical demand: 1 star
• Suitable for: outings with parents, partners, or friends (great for photos)
• Season and weather: the view is best under clear skies
• Main highlights: seaside cliffs facing the ocean; the Mermaid Cave from The Mermaid; the seaside greenway; speedboats on the water; sea-view guesthouses

Seaside cliffs facing the ocean. Standing at the cliff’s edge of Luzui Villa, with the boundless sea before you, the view is incredibly open. Listening to the waves break against the reef and gazing out at the distant horizon, you can fully relax.

The Mermaid Cave from The Mermaid. This is the filming location of the Mermaid Cave in Stephen Chow’s film The Mermaid, and it’s now quite a popular check-in spot. If you haven’t been, I recommend taking a look—it really is beautiful.

The seaside greenway. On the way from Yangmeikeng to Luzui Villa, you’ll pass a seaside greenway that was only completed late the previous year; currently it’s open only to the scenic-area sightseeing shuttles and to foot traffic. If you have the time and energy, I recommend walking it (5 km in total, about an hour)—strolling along with the sea in view is quite pleasant.

Speedboats on the water. If you don’t feel like walking, you can take a speedboat. Personally I think the speedboat ride is well worth experiencing—it’s fairly thrilling, and the scenery along the way is nice too.

Sea-view guesthouses. If you want to play around here a bit longer, I recommend finding a guesthouse in Yangmeikeng and staying a night (the one in the photo runs about ¥500+ on a Friday night). It’s much more relaxing, parking is convenient, and you can get up early and see a few more places. I’ve twice written code facing the sea at a sea-view guesthouse—quite a remarkable experience.

Tips

1. First take transport to “Yangmeikeng”
2. There are three ways to get from Yangmeikeng to Luzui Villa:
   • Speedboat: tickets are sold all along the roadside; once you’ve bought one, board at the designated dock, and after getting off, just walk uphill to reach it
   • Sightseeing shuttle: head toward the greenway (there’s only one road, so it’s easy to find); there’s a shuttle ticket booth at the greenway entrance—buy a ticket, board, and after getting off, walk a bit uphill to arrive
   • On foot: just navigate to “Luzui Villa” and walk—about 5 km, one hour

Shenzhen Observatory

Overview

• Location: Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen (Xichong)
• Duration: about 2 hours of sightseeing; a full day round trip from downtown Shenzhen
• Getting there: take transport / drive to Xichong Beach No. 4, then a shuttle bus / walk up to the observatory
• Cost estimate: around ¥100 (per person, transport + speedboat ticket + snacks)
• Physical demand: 1 star
• Suitable for: outings with partners or friends (great for photos)
• Season and weather: the view is best under clear skies
• Main highlights: a close-up view of the telescope; the boundless ocean and vast sky from the boardwalk

A close-up view of the telescope. In the past, the place I most often saw astronomical telescopes was in extracurricular readers in elementary school, and I had a vivid impression of that little dome—I never expected I’d get a chance to see one up close (you can also book a visit to the observatory’s interior through its WeChat official account). After reading The Three-Body Problem, I once again get a bit of that “Red Coast Base” feeling.

The boundless ocean and vast sky from the boardwalk. This boardwalk has a superb view, with a vast expanse of sea taking it all in. Standing on the boardwalk, whether it’s the openness facing the ocean, the hillside facing the observatory, or the half-mountain, half-sea views on either side, the scenery is beautiful from every angle. After visiting once I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I’ve been back many times since.

Tips

1. Take transport or drive, navigating to “Xichong Beach No. 4” (you can drive all the way to the far end, where there’s a large parking lot)
2. There are two ways to get from the foot of the mountain to the observatory:
   • Shuttle bus: there are shuttle buses and ticket sellers right at the start of the uphill path; the ticket is ¥10
   • On foot (recommended): follow the concrete road all the way up, about half an hour to the summit
3. Once at the summit observatory, head toward the boardwalk and descend along it
4. At the foot of the boardwalk, there are two ways to get back to the starting point:
   • Speedboat (¥50 per person): you can take in the scenery out on the water
   • Walking the coastline (recommended): this stretch of coast is relatively easy going, about half an hour back to the starting point