I might as well get this out of the way early – Sea World Shenzhen has nothing to do with Shamu or the SeaWorld Parks. Rather than an aquatic wonder world, this Sea World is a buzzy, energetic section of the Shekou area of Shenzhen.
Sea World Shenzhen contains exactly zero orcas.
This beating heart of expat life in Shenzhen is actually quite famous within China. It was here, or rather the nearby port, that the idea of a modern, open China was launched back in 1979. It was the designated as a Free Trade Zone and allowed foreign oil companies to come in and open up shop. It was a small test run for a more capitalistic economic model.
Forty years on, it is easy to see that this little experiment helped jump start China towards the economic beast it has become.
Sea World is easily accessible by metro from others areas of the city, with its own metro station on Line 2. It also happens to be close to both the Shekou Ferry Terminal (with ferries to Hong Kong, Hong Kong Airport, and Macau) and Shenzhen Bay for overland access to Hong Kong (check out our guide on how to navigate the Shenzhen Bay Border).
Sea World is most well known as the home to many of the expats in Shenzhen. This is due in part to two of the largest international schools, SIS and QSI, being situated nearby. It is also thanks to the rather Westernized feeling of Sea World, with its proliferation of Western chain restaurants and English-friendly bars.
That being said, walking around, you know that you are still in China. Locals like to indulge in some of the more funky attributes of Sea World just as much as expats, and the main, open pedestrian plaza plays host to events almost every weekend, from music shows to promotional events. It is a hub of activity, day and night.
For those new to Shenzhen or looking to move here, here is our guide to all things Sea World.
Sea World Shenzhen
Sea World Shenzhen starts from exit A of the Sea World metro station. The escalators take you to the beginning of the main plaza. McDonald’s and KFC to your left, Taiwanese bubble tea and shaved ice desserts to your right. A little bit of the West, a little bit of the East, which is a theme that will continue around the area.
This plaza is where most of the larger public events take place. The speed at which they set up and break down stages in this area is impressive. I have left to run errands for a few hours, only to return to a full on promotional event from Cadillac, featuring a full-size car submerged in a tank of water. Why? I’m not sure, but I hope it helped them sell more cars.
Plus, decorating the plaza are these adorable whale tail benches. Weird but wonderful.
At the end of the plaza is the iconic Mingua Cruise Ship. This huge vessel has been turned into multiple restaurants and bars. If you turn to the right, you will find Tequila Coyote’s, our go-to Mexican restaurant when we have a salsa/tacos/enchiladas itch that needs to be scratched. Is it the world’s best Mexican? No. But they do have authentic tacos al pastor and refreshing margaritas.
PRO-TIP: If you head to the left from the cruise ship at the end of the plaza, you enter another corridor of restaurants and bars, including hot pot, Japanese, and Mexican options. There are also bars like Havana, which while technically a bar, is known for providing other…services. Best avoid those places if you just want a drink.
Near Tequila Coyote’s is another of Shenzhen’s Western favorites, BAIA Burger. Located on the third level, overlooking the cruise ship, BAIA Burger serves huge, exceptionally messy burgers. Every one seems to have at least five toppings and requires the use of at least three napkins. The bummer is that they are expensive (90-120RMB) but Monday-Thursday from 5:30-7pm, they are 2 for 1.
When we want to feel horrible about our health choices, we indulge at BAIA Burger.
As you continue walking around the right side of the ship, you will find yourself in another open area, surrounded on all sides by more restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. There is a Costa Coffee (our UK friends will be familiar with that brand) and Haagen-Dazs ice cream, not to mention more local favorites like Honeymoon Desserts, with their variety of mango, fruit, and durian (yes, durian, that exceptionally stinky fruit) desserts and drinks.
Old Street, a Sichuan restaurant on the second level above Costa, is quite tasty and in our regular rotation. Cold cucumber salad, green beans, Mapo tofu, and anything covered in chile oil and Sichuan peppercorns. Is it spicy? Yes. Is it delicious? Absolutely.
This section of Sea World also has its own unique art installation/children’s play area/seating, much like the whale tails on the main plaza. Not sure exactly what it is supposed to be modelled after, but looks a little like the spine of a large animal. Again, weird yet wonderful.
The wooden walkway that frames the pools behind the cruise ship is one of the key spots for people watching around Sea World, particularly in the evening when there are live fountain shows at every half hour interval between 7pm and 9pm. They rotate the songs each half hour, so it’s possible to see multiple shows during a single evening. We can hear the music from our apartment so it’s also our little evening clock – Celine Dion at 8:00, Whitney Houston at 8:30.
The right side of the pools contain a long stretch of high-end restaurants, ranging from Italian to Chinese. We’ve eaten in most of them, including Allatore and Tim’s Kitchen, and while they’re fine, they skew more expensive than most of the neighboring restaurants. We mostly find ourselves in these restaurants when we want to introduce someone to the fountain shows, because the best views are from the outdoor seating gracing the entire stretch.
But for food, there are far better options nearby.
Along the back end of Sea World is another massive multi-level outdoor mall, sprinkled with many more restaurants, and shops. There are actually relatively few shopping-type stores in the area, with most of the real estate going to food. But in this section, you’ll find one kids’ store dedicated to carved wooden animals (called a ‘A Wooderful Life’…no joke) and a KTV karaoke bar.
Plus, here you’ll find two of our favorite Chinese restaurants around Sea World: Charming Grilled Fish and Hutaoli.
Charming Grilled Fish serves whole fish family-style in large, shallow trays, submerged in bubbling broth. You pick the size of fish and style of broth (ranging from mild to super spicy Sichuan-style, smothered in chiles) and add on vegetables to cook in the broth. Two people can split a whole fish for about 130RMB. There is a queue almost every night.
Across the corridor is Hutaoli, which is a fun and funky restaurant that does a range of regional Chinese dishes. They are known for their crispy, golden roasted chicken, served for some reason . We love taking friends here and exploring the menu, which unfortunately is only in Chinese. We don’t know what we are ordering about half the time, but we’ve never been disappointed, especially if we stick to the indicated restaurant favorites.
Areas Around Sea World Shenzhen
Surrounding Sea World Shenzhen are a few other areas that are great to explore once you are done eating and drinking. There are great walking/running/cycling paths, a museum, and a few other shopping and dining options.
e-Cool Nanhai: Situated a few blocks east of Sea World along Xinghua Lu is e-Cool. This area (three blocks by three blocks) is a converted Sanyo factory complex. Now, it is filled with pedestrian-only areas, offices, and ground-level restaurants, coffee shops, and clothing stores. The city has maintained the industrial feel, but added funky touches like painted tires cut in half as lane dividers and large street art installations. You’ll know you’ve found it by the Starbucks on the corner, but there are also fun independent coffee shops throughout the complex.
Gateway One: This multi-level, super modern shopping mall is open air and has a wide range of stores. The top level is mostly restaurants (do you sense a theme here? This entire area of the city is mostly dedicated to food, surprising no one!), but also has an IMAX movie theatre. There are usually one or two English movies available at all times. The second level has stores like Nike, Adidas, Sketchers, and DJI. The basement of Gateway One is where you will find the international supermarket Olé. It is a high-end chain of stores within China, with Western, Thai, Japanese, and Korean pantry items. They also sell organic fruit and vegetables, but be prepared to pay a premium. Olé is not known for its deals.
Design Society: This museum opened in 2017 and features a exhibitions and learning programs focused on design and creative thinking. The museum’s location also marks the beginning of a new waterfront running and cycling path that runs all the way to downtown Shenzhen. There are playgrounds, benches, and sculptures set up along the path. It is a great place for a casual afternoon stroll, or a long run or bike ride. It’s been a great addition to the city.
Sea World is a compact area, but one that is a popular spot for visitors and locals alike. Thanks to the crazy fountain show and pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, this is the kind of place where a family can spend an afternoon, browsing the museum, walking on the water and eating themselves silly. It’s also a place where expats can easily indulge in food from home, which is sometimes really, really essential.
