Many come to Shenzhen to shop, conduct business, and sightsee but the city's nightlife offerings have flourished in recent years. Even though the locals prefer eating out - as most Chinese do-plenty of KTV joints, nightclubs, and bars can keep revelers occupied until the wee hours of the morning.

Even though Shenzhen is not known for its culture, the city's many theaters offer a chance to experience international-caliber performing arts year-round. The Shenzhen Grand Theater hosts many domestic and international music and dance ensembles both classical and modern. And in late December and early January, it is the home of the Shenzhen Grand Theater Art Festival. In terms of music, visitors can head to Shenzhen Concert Hall, reputed for its east-meets-west architecture. National and international symphonies, orchestras, and the like perform here regularly - calling ahead for performance date and time.

The city is also host to many festivals unique to Shenzhen such as the Shenzhen Huaxia Nations Temple Fair & Torch Festival. Visitors interested in learning about the Yi ethnic minority should head to Chinese Folk Culture Village. The festival is celebrated by lighting three torches for three days, which according to tradition, rids the people of pestilence. Much of the activities take place during the evening with song, dance, and story telling around a massive bonfire. The city is also known for the Xiasha Banquet. Around the time of the Lantern Festival in the first lunar month, residents of Xiasha lay out at least 3000 tables in preparation for the arrival of ''The Hundred Birds Return to the Nest,'' a dish name bestowed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The dish is made with duck, oysters, fish, chicken, mushrooms, and turnips as its main ingredients. Thousands of Xiasha residents who live abroad return home to help their family and friends celebrate the traditional banquet. In fact, in 2000, it was listed in the Guinness World Book Records for the most tables laid out during a folk festival.

One of the more popular depictions of Chinese folk culture, as seen in martial arts movies and Chinese New Year parades, is the dragon dance. Longgang, also know as the ''Town of the Dragon Dance'' is the birthplace of this unique traditional performing art. The dance can be traced back 300 years to the Hakka ethnic group and is carried on by the Longgang Art where the dragons dance, Kylin dance and the lion dance are performed. The festival is an also a great place try Hakka food and snacks.

The Lychee Festival and the Shenzhen Window of the World Beer Festival both take place during the summer months. Whereas the Lychee Festival tends to be a bit more family-oriented with most of its activities involving the sweet, tropical stone fruit in one way or another, Shenzhen's Window of the World Beer Festival, while not as popular as the Qingdao Beer, attracts those old enough to imbibe a few pints ... or more.

Recreation and sports enthusiasts can enjoy golfing, swimming, tennis, ping-pong and other sport at many of the sports clubs. One of the best places to head to is Guanlan Golf Club and Honey Lake Holiday Village. However, as the city continues to grow, more clubs and entertainment venues are being created.