The Minghua
On dry land.
Dinkun Chen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · そらみみ (Soramimi) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dinkun Chen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dinkun Chen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dinkun Chen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MKaalei SZEO — CC0 · そらみみ (Soramimi) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · そらみみ — CC BY-SA 4.0
A large leisure plaza in Shekou in southwest Shenzhen, centred on the huge Minghua, a ship berthed on dry land; she began life as a French liner built in 1962 as the Ancerville, sailing between Marseille and Dakar before China bought her in 1973. The ship is the heart of the Sea World development and reopened in late 2025 as a retail and culture space, surrounded by a wide plaza with more than forty restaurants serving cuisines from around the world, cafés and shops. In the evening the plaza hosts a dancing-fountain show set to music and lights, drawing locals and the many foreign residents of Shekou, one of Shenzhen's most international neighbourhoods. The plaza and the ship are free to enter, with the ship open about 10:00–22:00, per visitor guides. Evenings are best; check that a restaurant is halal before ordering.
On dry land.
In the evening.
Forty-plus restaurants.
Shekou, Nanshan District, southwest Shenzhen
A French liner built in 1962 as the Ancerville and bought by China in 1973, now berthed on dry land at the heart of Sea World in Shekou; entry is free.