Founded in 1983, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden (also known as Xianhu Botanic Garden) is a wonderful park located in the eastern suburbs of Shenzhen. it is considered to be a multi-function park for both tourism and science purposes. (Photo by © Jon Connell via Flickr)
History of Fairy Lake Botanical Garden
As mentioned, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden was established in 1983 by The National Cycad Conservation Center; however, it was first opened to the public in 1988. This is the place that handles tourism, scientific researchs, and science popularization purposes altogether. You can find over 17 collections of special-category living plants in this fascinating garden.
Sections of the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden
The Fairy Lake Botanical Garden has more than 8,000 species of plants divided into 17 Special Gardens. The most famous gardens are Palm Plant Garden, Peach Garden, Bamboo Garden, Butterfly Orchid Garden, Rare Plant Garden, Desert Landscape Garden, Aquatic Plant Garden, Shade Plant Garden, Medicinal Plant Garden, and Miniascape Garden.
The garden has six main landscape areas inside which are:
- Fairy Lake Area
- Temple Area
- Paradise on Earth Area
- Fossil Forest Area
- Desert Landscape Area
- Pine and Azalea Area
Fairy Lake Area
Fairy Lake has rare plants and unique garden scenery surrounding it. Most of the visitors here would praise this attractive and lovely landscape. The water provider of this lake is a spring in the Phoenix Tree Peak, which is one of the highest points of Shenzhen. It is a great place to enjoy the magnificent scenery. Also, fishing under certain conditions is permitted.
Temple Area
In the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden center, you can find the Hongfa Temple (Buddhism Developing Temple). The Phoenix Tree Peak is located in the southern part of the Temple Area and the Fairy Lake is in the northern part of it. The buildings in this place are spectacular, radiant, and beautiful in the eyes of its visitors. Here is a center for spreading and also researching Buddhist culture, which attracts many Buddhists and monks every year.
Paradise on Earth Area
Inside the Paradise on Earth Area, you can find the Butterfly Orchid Garden, Rare Plant Garden, Shade Plant Garden, and Heavenly Pool. The Heavenly Pool is filled with water from the Phoenix Tree Peak’s spring. There is a legend here that says “once upon a time, a beautiful phoenix lived on a phoenix tree next to the Heavenly Pool. The area had green mountains all around, and the pool had such pure water that fairy creatures played and bathed in it.” Because of this legend, it has earned the name Paradise on Earth Area.
Fossil Forest
The Fossil Forest is about paleontology, and there is a Paleontological Museum inside. This area covers 20 square kilometers (around 7.72 square miles) and houses the Peach Garden.
Constructed in 1997, Fossil Forest is an exhibit of more than 500 fossil woods from Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Liaoning. These fossil woods were made during the Mesozoic era. The Mesozoic era is the time when almost all trees got embedded beneath the ground, and after millions of years, they became fossil woods. These changes had happened due to the movement of the continents. Because of these many precious fossils, here is a great place to learn and understand the history and origin of life.
Paleontological Museum
This museum inside the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden is multifunctional. The fossil samples of plants and animals are on display and research work together. The shape of this museum could resemble a giant dinosaur when looking at it from a distance.
In the Paleontological Museum, there are more than 9,000 fossil samples. The museum can divide into three exhibition areas:
- Animal Fossils Exhibition Area
- Fossil Wood Exhibition Area
- Plant Fossils Exhibition Area
Animal Fossils Exhibition Area
The Animal Fossils Exhibition Area has many animal fossil samples from various animal species found in different parts of China. Among these fossil samples, the treasure of this museum is Zhanghe Beast Fossil, which unveils the secrets related to the evolution of early mammals. Other than this fossil, there are multiple dinosaur fossils, which would be very interesting for the visitors of the museum.
The Fossil Wood Exhibition Area
The Fossil Wood Exhibition Area has around 800 fossil wood pieces mainly excavated from Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Xinjiang, Indonesia, South Africa, Madagascar, and America.
The Plant Fossils Exhibition Area
The Plant Fossils Exhibition Area mostly displays fossils of ancient plants such as fern, algae, angiosperm, and gymnosperm, which show visitors a better understanding of the plant eco-environment of the Neozoic and Mesozoic eras.
Moreover, you can find different attractive spots in the Fairly Lake Botanical Garden such as Dragon Tower, Jade Belt Bridge, Sightseeing Pavilion, Double-Harmony Pavilion, and more. The Fairy Lake Botanical Garden is a botanical kingdom where many plants present their unique charms to you.
Fairy Lake Botanical Garden Climate
This place, like the rest of Shenzhen, has a subtropical monsoon climate zone. The average annual temperature is 23 °C (73 °F), and the total yearly rainfall is 1,608.1-millimetre (63.31 in). It has 355 frost-free days and 1975 annual average sunshine hours. Here, the spring, fall, and winter are relatively warm, but winters are mostly dry. The warmest temperature is 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), and the coldest one is 1.4 °C (34.5 °F).
Tourist Guide
How to get around in Fairy Lake Botanical Garden?
Exclusive Bus
There is an exclusive bus line that starts from the gate to Buddhism Developing Temple. It leaves every 15 minutes and on holidays, it leaves every 5 to 10 minutes.
The electric round-tour bus route
It starts in Buddhism Developing Temple and further goes to Lake Area, Miniascape Garden, Desert Landscape Garden, Paleontological Museum, Fossil Forest, Medicine Plant Area, Surf Hearing Pavilion, Double-Harmony Pavilion, and back to Buddhism Developing Temple again.
| How to get to? | |
|---|---|
| By Metro | Take Line 5 or 2 and leave at Huangbeiling Station. Use Exit C and walk to the Xinxiu bus stop to transfer to get on bus 382 to the garden. |
| By Bus (Xianhu Zhiwuyuan Zongzhan) | Take bus 202, 220, 363, 382, or B955 to Xianhu Zhiwuyuan Zongzhan (Fairy Lake Botanical Garden Terminal). |
| By Bus (Wutongshan Xinju) | Take bus 27, 113, 214, 333, 336, M468, or B621 to Wutongshan Xinju. |
| Opening Hours | |
| Fairy Lake Botanical Garden | 04:00 – 21:30 |
| Paleontological Museum | 9:00-17:00 (closed on Mondays) |
| Shade Plant Garden, | 9:00-17:00 |
| Desert Landscape Garden | 9:00-17:00 |
| Miniascape Garden | 9:00-17:00 |
| Butterfly Orchid Garden | 9:00-17:00 |
| Prices | |
| Adults and children over 1.4 meters tall | 20 Yuan |
| children (1.1-1.4 m) – senior (60-69years old) | 10 Yuan |
| Children (below 1.1 m), senior (+70 years old) and the disabled | Free |
| At 4:00 to 8:00 and 18:00 to 21:30 | Free for all |
In 2007, the China National Tourism Administration classified the park as a “national AAAA level tourist site”. Besides, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development considered this place as “national key park” in 2008. At the time of visiting Shenzhen, never forget to visit this fantastic botanical garden and share your experiences and thoughts with us. Also, our professional guides are prepared to reply to your questions about the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden as early as possible.
