Fairy Lake Botanical Garden Shenzhen: A Paradise of Plants at the Foot of Wutong Mountain

Nestled in the bustling city of Shenzhen, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden is a ecological gem at the foot of Wutong Mountain. Covering an area of 668 hectares, the garden is situated on the northwest slope of Wutong Mountain (944 meters above sea level) and adjacent to Shenzhen Reservoir. Endowed with the legend of “Phoenix perching on Wutong Mountain and fairies playing in Tianchi Lake”, it exudes a fairy-like charm, a name carefully chosen by the famous landscape architect Professor Sun Xiaoxiang to highlight its graceful mountain-surrounded and water-embraced scenery.

As a key plant conservation base in South China, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden preserves approximately 12,000 species of living plants, connected by 21 specialized gardens, each holding unique natural surprises. The Lake Area, the core of the garden, features a vigorous banyan tree planted by Deng Xiaoping on the lawn, witnessing the development of Shenzhen. Surrounded by swaying palm trees, it showcases a strong tropical style of South China. The world’s largest Fossil Forest displays silicified wood with a history of hundreds of millions of years, telling stories of the Earth’s ancient past. The three greenhouses in the Cactus and Succulent Garden collect hundreds of desert plants from the Americas, Africa and Asia, creating an exotic wilderness atmosphere.

Nature and humanity coexist harmoniously here. Hongfa Temple, located on the hillside east of the lake, is the first temple built after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Shrouded in incense, it radiates Zen charm and becomes a sacred place for citizens to pray and calm their minds. The Heaven and Earth Scenic Area connects Magnolia Garden, Butterfly Valley Orchid Garden and Cyathea Lake, boasting blooming Chinese roses in spring, lush cyatheas in summer and golden metasequoias in autumn, offering picturesque views all year round. In addition, the wooden plank road in the Fern Center, Chinese-style pavilions in the Bonsai Garden and Tingyu Pavilion in the Aquatic Plant Garden all make visitors linger.

Since its official opening in 1988, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden has not only become a highland for plant scientific research and popularization but also receives over 4 million visitors annually. Combining the classical garden design wisdom of “suitable site selection and appropriate garden construction” with rich ecological resources, it is an ideal place for urbanites to escape the hustle and bustle and get close to nature, and a vivid epitome of Shenzhen’s ecological civilization construction.