Shenzhen : Overview

Shenzhen is a sub-provincial city of Guangdong province in southern People's Republic of China, situated north of Hong Kong. Shenzhen is a center of foreign investment and since the late 1970s has been one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is also the busiest port in the PRC after Shanghai. In the past two decades, outsiders have invested more than $30 billion in Shenzhen for building factories and forming joint ventures.

History

The one-time fishing village of Shenzhen, singled out by late Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, to be the first of the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in China. It was originally established in 1979 due to its proximity to Hong Kong, then a prosperous British colony. The SEZ was created to be an experimental ground of capitalism in "socialism with Chinese characteristics".

The location was chosen to attract industrial investments from Hong Kong since the two places are nearby each other and share the same culture. The concept proved to be a great success, propelling the further opening up of China and continuous economic reform. Shenzhen eventually became one of the largest cities in the Pearl River Delta region, which has become one of the economic powerhouses of China as well as the largest manufacturing base in the world.

Shenzhen, formerly known as 'Bao'an County ', was promoted to prefecture level, directly governed by Guangdong province, in November 1979. In May 1980, Shenzhen was formally nominated as a "special economic zone", the first one of its kind in China. It was given the right of provincial-level economic administration in November 1988.

Shenzhen is the earliest of the five special economic zones in China. Deng Xiaoping is usually credited with the opening up of economic revival in China, often epitomized with the city of Shenzhen, which profited the most from the first legacies of Deng.

Administrative divisions

Shenzhen is a sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over six districts.

Districts
Luohu
Futian
Nanshan
Yantian
Bao'an
Longgang

The Special Economic Zone comprises Luohu, Futian, Nanshan, and Yantian but not Bao'an and Longgang.

Located in the centre of the SEZ and adjacent to Hong Kong, Luohu is the financial and trading centre. It covers an area of 78.89 km2. Futian, where the Municipal Government is situated, is at the heart of the SEZ and covers an area of 78.04 km2. Covering an area of 164.29 km2, Nanshan is the centre for high-tech industries and it is situated in the west of the SEZ. Outside the SEZ, Bao'an (712.92 km2) and Longgang (844.07 km2) are located to the north-west and north-east of Shenzhen respectively. Yantian (75.68 km2) is known for logistics. Yantian Port is the second largest deepwater container terminal in China and 4th largest in the world.

Geography

The boomtown of Shenzhen is located in the Pearl River Delta. The municipality covers an area of 2,020 km2 (780 sq. miles) including urban and rural areas, with a nighttime population (not including commuters) of 8,277,500, at the end of 2005. Among those, 1,819,300 had legal residence. Shenzhen is a sub-tropical maritime region, with frequent tropical cyclones in summer and early autumn, with an average temperature of 22.4°C year-round (72°F) although daytime temperatures can exceed 35°C.

Shenzhen was originally a mountainous area, with fertile agrarian land. However, after the introduction of special economic zone in 1979, Shenzhen underwent tremendous change in landscape. The once hilly fishing village is now replaced by mostly flat ground in downtown area, with only Lian Hua hill (Lotus Hill), Bi Jia Hill (Mount Bi Jia) and Mount WuTong the only three places that have some kind of elevation viewed from satellites. With the influx of emigrants from inland China, Shenzhen is experiencing a second stage booming, and it is now expanding peripherally and the hills in surrounding areas such as Mission Hills are now being toppled over to make land for more development. However, many areas in Shenzhen is located on the border with the Hong Kong SAR across the Sham Chun River and Sha Tau Kok River, 100 km southeast of the provincial capital of Guangzhou, and 60 km south of the industrial city of Dongguan. To the southwest, the resort city of Zhuhai is a 60 km away.

Demographics

Shenzhen has seen its population and activity develop rapidly since the establishment of the SEZ. Its official population listed at around nine million (including floating residents), Shenzhen has been the fastest growing city in China for the past 30 years. However, many people think there are far more residents, mostly because they are commuters from Dongguan. However, one problem with such a rampant growth of population is the accompanied problem of people without hukou (with 70% of that number being residents without a permanent hukou), most "old" Shenzhen locals felt that the practice of freeing the city to the inland is making it less competitive with other Chinese cities. Among the reasons for this development is the cost of labour, which is substantially lower than in neighbouring Hong Kong.

There had been migration into southern Guangdong and what is now Shenzhen since the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) but the numbers increased dramatically since Shenzhen was established in the 1980s. In Guangdong, it is the only city where Mandarin is mostly spoken, with migrants from all over China. At present, the average age in Shenzhen is less than 30. Among the total, 8.49 percent are between the age of 0 and 14, 88.41 percent between the age of 15 and 59, one-fifth between 20 and 24 and 1.22 percent are aged 65 or above.
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The population structure polarizes into two opposing extremes: intellectuals with a high level of education, and migrant workers with poor education. It was reported in June 2007 that over 20 percent of China's PhD's worked in Shenzhen.

According to the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, in 2002, 7,200 Hong Kong residents commuted daily to Shenzhen for work, and 2,200 students from Shenzhen commuted to school in Hong Kong. Though neighbouring each other, daily commuters still need to pass through customs and immigration checkpoints, as travel between the SEZ and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) is restricted.

In late July 2003, China relaxed travel restrictions to allow individuals from the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as Beijing and Shanghai, to visit Hong Kong. Previously, mainland travelers could only visit the city as part of tour groups. (See Individual Visit Scheme)

Immigration into Shenzhen from the Chinese interior is heavily restricted by the hukou system. One consequence is that just outside of Shenzhen there are large towns consisting of a large number of migrants from the Chinese interior who attempt to enter the city.

Climate

Shenzhen is situated in the subtropical part of China, located at about the Tropic of Cancer. The weather is generally pleasant in Shenzhen, temperate and mild in the autumn; there is a bit of cool breeze in the winter, but it is just warm enough to do anything, as the South China Sea buffers its climate, so cold snaps are not common. In the spring Shenzhen is relatively dry, and then it has a hot and wet summer, occasionally hit by typhoons from the east, but the temperature rarely reaches over 35 degrees Celsius.

Economy

In 2001, the working population reached 3.3 million. Though the secondary sector of industry had the largest share (1.85 million in 2001, increased by 5.5%), the tertiary sector of industry is growing fast (1.44 million in 2001, increased by 11.6%). Shenzhen's GDP totaled CNY 568.439 billion in 2006, up by 15 percent over the previous year. Its economy grew by 16.3 percent yearly from 2001 to 2005 on average. The proportion of the three industries to the aggregate of GDP was 0.3:51.6:48.1 in 2004 and 0.2:52.4:47.4 in 2005. The proportion of the tertiary industry to GDP was down by 0.7 percent.[4] Shenzhen is in the top ranks among mainland Chinese cities in terms of comprehensive economic power. It ranked fourth in GDP among mainland Chinese cities in 2001, while it ranked the top in GDP per capita during the same period. Its import and export volumes have been first for the last nine consecutive years. It is the second in terms of industrial output. For five consecutive years, its internal revenue within local budget ranks third. It also ranks third in the actual use of foreign capital.

Shenzhen is a major manufacturing centre in China. One highrise a day and one boulevard every three days is one famous line referring to Shenzhen in the 1990s. With 13 buildings at over 200 metres tall, including the Shun Hing Square (the 9th tallest building in the world), Shenzhen is a marvel of lights after sunset.

Shenzhen is home to some of China's most successful high-tech companies, such as Huawei and ZTE. A number of foreign IT companies also have facilities in the city. Foxconn has a manufacturing plant based in Shenzhen where they make most of the iPods, iPhones and notebooks for Apple, Inc. It appears to be shipping a large majority of the new Intel-based machines at this stage. Lenovo, the Chinese conglomerate that bought the personal computing division of IBM in 2005, manufactures its line of ThinkPad notebook computers in Shenzhen. IBM still has a joint venture in Shenzhen manufacturing server products. Many of these foreign high-tech companies have their operations in the Science and Technology park in Nanshan District or outside the core districts where labor and land are much cheaper. In the financial sector, China Merchants' Bank, one of the largest banks in China, has its headquarters in Shenzhen. Shenzhen City Commercial Bank is also based in the city. It is expected that more foreign financial institutions will invest in Shenzhen.

In 2006, the GDP reached a record high of 568.4 billion RMB, an increase of 15% over 2005. Shenzhen's economic output is ranked fourth in mainland China, and it is comparable to that of a medium sized province in China. In 2006, Shenzhen's GDP per capita was 86190 yuan, making it the highest among Chinese mainland cities.

Shenzhen Stock Exchange

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (the SZSE) is a mutualized national stock exchange under the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the CSRC) that provides a venue for securities trading. A broad spectrum of market participants, including 540 listed companies, 35 million registered investors and 177 exchange members, create the market. Here buying and selling orders are designed to be matched in a fair, open and orderly market, through an automated system to create the best possible prices based on price-time priority. Trading volumes have been robust.

Since its creation in 1990, the SSE has blossomed into a market of great competitive edges in the country, with a market capitalization around RMB 1 trillion (US$ 122 billion). On a daily basis, around 600,000 deals, valued US$ 807 million, trade on the SSE.

China's securities market is undergoing fundamental changes. The implementation of the new securities law, company law, self-innovation strategy as well as the development of non-tradable share reform embodies enormous opportunities to the market. Adhering to the principle of "Regulation, Innovation, Cultivation and Service", the SSE will continue to maintain its focus on developing the Small and Medium Enterprises Board, while seeking for a loose tier market.

The initial public offering (IPO) activity in Shenzhen stock exchange was suspended from September 2000 as the Chinese government pondered merging its bourses into a single exchange in Shanghai and launch a Nasdaq-style second board in Shenzhen aimed at private and technology companies.

Shopping in Shenzhen

Shenzhen boasts large shopping malls, including Coco Park, MixC, and Kingglory, which carry luxury retailers such as Seibu, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Armani. For everyday purchases, citizens go to Dongmen and SEG Plaza.

Cityscape

Shenzhen is home to the world's ninth tallest building, the Shun Hing Square (Diwang Building). As people start to congest the downtown area, Shenzhen has built 23 buildings over 200 metres, mostly in the Luohu and Futian districts. The second tallest building in Shenzhen is SEG Plaza at a height of 356 meters (292 meters to roof-top). It is located in the commercial and shopping district of Hua Qiang Bei. According to Emporis, Shenzhen is ranked ninth in the world in terms of highrise buildings, and fifth best city skyline in the world.

Shenzhen has some of the most audacious projects that China has ever seen, and it has been a site for China to showcase its wonder. The International Trade Center, built in 1985, was the tallest building in China when built, and the Shun Hing building was also the tallest in Asia when it was built (still the tallest steel building in the world).

Shenzhen is also the site for many tall building projects. Some of the supertalls that have been either proposed or approved are well over 400 meters. The current tallest building under construction is the 439 metre tall Kingkey Finance Tower, which will be finished in 2010. However, there are many renders of supertalls that will surpass the Kingkey Finance Tower height by 2015.

Integration with Hong Kong

Hong Kong and Shenzhen have very close business, trade and social linkages as demonstrated by the statistics presented below. Except where noted the statistics are taken from sections of the Hong Kong Government (HKG) website.

As of December 2007, there are six land crossing points of the boundary between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. From west to east these are Shenzhen Bay Port road crossing (opened 1st July 2007); Huanggang to Lok Ma Chau rail connection linking SZ Metro Line 4 to KCR Lok Ma Chau Extension (opened 15th August 2007); Huanggang to Lok Ma Chau road connection; Futian to Man Kam To road connection; Luohu to Lo Wu rail connection linking KCR East Rail to SZ Metro Line 1, Shenzhen Rail Station and Luohu in general; and the Shatoujiao to Sha Tau Kok road connection.[10] Both of the rail connections require the passengers to cross the Shenzhen River on foot as there is no direct rail connection between the two cities, although the Guangzhou to Hong Kong trains pass through Shenzhen without stopping.

In 2006, there were around 20,500 daily vehicular crossings of the boundary in each direction. Of these 65 percent were goods vehicles, 27 percent cars and the remainder buses and coaches. The Huanggang crossing was most heavily used at 76 percent of the total, followed by the Futian crossing at 18 percent and Shatoujiao at 6 percent.[11] Of the goods vehicles, 12,000 per day were container carrying and, using a rate of 1.44 teus/vehicle, this results in 17,000 teus/day across the boundary, while Hong Kong port handled 23,000 teus/day during 2006, excluding transhipment trade.

In terms of value Hong Kong’s trade in 2006 consisted of US$333 billion of imports of which US$298 billion were re-exported. Of these figures 94 percent were associated with China.[14] Considering that 34.5 percent of the value of Hong Kong trade is associated with air freight (only 1.3 percent by weight), a very large proportion of this must be associated with China as well.

Also in 2006 the average daily passenger flow through the four connections open at that time was over 200,000 in each direction of which 63 percent used the Luohu rail connection and 33 percent the Huanggang road connection.[16] Naturally, such high volumes require special handling, and the largest group of people crossing the boundary, Hong Kong residents with Chinese ethnicity, use only a biometric ID Card and a thumb print reader. As a point of comparison, Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok Airport, the 5th busiest international airport in the World, handled 59,000 passengers per day in each direction.

Hong Kong conducts regular surveys of cross-boundary passenger movements, with the most recent being in 2003, although the 2007 survey will be reported on soon. In 2003 the boundary crossings for Hong Kong Residents living in Hong Kong made 78 percent of the trips, up by 33 percent from 1999, whereas Hong Kong and Chinese residents of China made up 20 percent in 2006, an increase of 140 percent above the 1999 figure. Since that time movement has been made much easier for China residents, and so that group have probably increased further yet. Other nationalities made up 2 percent of boundary crossings. Of these trips 67 percent were associated with Shenzhen and 42 percent were for business or work purposes. Of the non-business trips about one third were to visit friends and relatives and the remainder for leisure.

Apart from the business and family trips, many Hong Kong and overseas visitors to Shenzhen go for the shopping, where goods and services are supposedly far cheaper than those in Hong Kong. However, without coming prepared knowing the prices of specific items the goods may end up being far more expensive than in Hong Kong while others are only marginally cheaper, even after a long phase of negotiating.

The shopping mall most visited by day-tourists is Lo Wu Commercial City, situated close Luohu border crossing. This contains an overwhelming array of beauty parlours and stores selling clothes, handbags (usually fake-designer), fabric, jewellery and electrical goods as well as many vendors of pirated software, DVDs, counterfeit goods and mobile phones. With the number of tourists, it is also a popular location for prostitution, drugs, pickpockets and begging. However, riding two stops on the Shenzhen Metro would bring them to Lao Jie Station for the Dongmen shopping area, and four stops to Hua Qiang Bei, which are the shopping areas most favoured by locals.

The other reasons for Hong Kong tourists to visit Shenzhen are the restaurants from many provinces, usually at a cost of one quarter that of Hong Kong and often of superior quality, and the genuine massage and beauty parlours at about one tenth the cost of Hong Kong. However, reading and/or speaking Chinese is needed.

Port

Situated in the Pearl River Delta in China’s Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Port is adjacent to HK. The city’s 260km coastline is divided by the Kowloon Peninsula into two halves, the eastern and the western. Shenzhen’s western port area lies to the east of Lingdingyang in the Pearl River Estuary and possesses a deep water harbour with superb natural shelters. It is about 20 sea miles from Hong Kong to the south and 60 sea miles from Guangzhou to the north. By passing Pearl River system, the western port area is connected with the cities and counties in Pearl River Delta networks; by passing On See Dun waterway, it extends all ports both at home and abroad. The eastern port area lies north of Dapeng Bay where the harbour is wide and calm and is regarded as the best natural harbour in South China.

Shenzhen handled a record number of containers in 2005, ranking as the world's fourth-busiest port, after rising trade increased cargo shipments through the southern Chinese city. Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, China Merchants Holdings (International) Co and other operators of the port handled 16.2 million standard 20-foot boxes last year, a 19 per cent increase.

Investors in Shenzhen are expanding to take advantage of rising volume. Hong Kong-based Hutchison, the world's biggest port operator, and its mainland Chinese partner plan to add six berths at Yantian by 2010, bringing the total to 15. The company also plans to pay its parent company HK$2.07 billion (US$265 million) for land at Shekou to expand its cargo business.

Yantian International Container Terminals, Chiwan Container terminals, Shekou Container Terminals, China Merchants Port and Shenzhen Haixing (Mawan port) are the major port terminals in Shenzhen.

Transportation

Air

Shenzhen Airport is 35km from central Shenzhen and connects the city with many other parts of China, as well as some international destinations. It is normally cheaper for people based in Hong Kong to fly to Mainland Chinese destinations from Shenzhen than from Hong Kong, and it is usually cheaper for those based in southern Mainland China to fly out of Hong Kong to international destinations. Shenzhen airport is conveniently connected by coach directly to Hong Kong airport for a fee of ￥200 or HK$200. The airport is connected to the city by an airport bus route 330 which terminates at Hualian Dasha in Shennan Zhong Lu. Other city buses also connect with the airport, but some only turn round at the roundabout outside leaving passengers with a long walk.

Train

Shenzhen Railway Station is located at the junction of Jianshe Lu, Heping Lu and Renmin Nan Lu and provides links to different parts of China. There are frequent high speed trains to Guangzhou, plus long-distance trains to Beijing, Jiujiang, Maoming, Shantou and other destinations. The train from Hong Kong's East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station to the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau border crossings take 43 minutes and 45 minutes respectively. Trains depart East Tsim Sha Tsui for Lo Wu every 6-8 minutes from 5:36am to 11:13pm. The border crossing at Lo Wu is open daily from 6:30am to midnight. The Lok Ma Chau border crossing closes around 10:30. Returning trains from Lo Wu to East Tsim Sha Tsui depart every 6-8 minutes from 6:38am to 12:30am. The Lok Ma Chau Trains run at 10 minute intervals.

Although the immigration laws recently changed, most nationalities will still need to apply for a visa, which can be obtained for 160Yuan at the border crossing. UK citizens can apply at the border for 450Yuan. The application process takes up to 20 minutes upon which a 7 day visitor's visa restricted to the Shenzhen area is issued. Since 2006, American citizens are no longer allowed visa-on-demand at the border and will have to obtain one prior to going to Shenzhen: 450 HKD for a single entry, 590 HKD for a double entry. Japanese and Singaporean people do not need to apply for a visa.

There is another railway station located in Nanshan District, Shenzhen Xi, which is used for a small number of long distance trains, such as the one to Hefei.

The Shenzhen Metro system opened on 27 December 2004. It has two lines, one from Luohu (Lo Wu & Shenzhen railway stations) to Window of the World, and the other from Huanggang to Shaonian gong (youth palace).

Sea

Shenzhen is also connected by fast ferries linking Shekou, on the west edge of the SEZ with Zhuhai, Macau, Hong Kong International Airport, Kowloon, and Hong Kong Island.

Shenzhen has sealines in its southwest and southeast, and the city is home to some of the most popular and best beaches in China. Beaches like Dameisha and Xiaomeisha are often crowded with locals and tourists. The second best beach in China[citation needed], the Xichong beach, is just one hour drive from downtown Shenzhen, and it till retains its age old natural beauties.

Road

Since February 2003, the road border crossing at Huanggang and Lok Ma Chau in Hong Kong has been open 24 hours a day. The journey can be made by private vehicle or by bus. On 15 August 2007, the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang pedestrian border crossing opened, linking Lok Ma Chau Station with Huanggang. With the opening of the crossing, shuttle buses between Lok Ma Chau transport interchange and Huanggang were terminated.

Taxis are metered and come in three colors. Red taxis may travel anywhere, green ones are restricted to outside the SEZ, and yellow ones are restricted to inside the SEZ.

There are also frequent bus and van services from Hong Kong International Airport to Huanggang and most major hotels in Shenzhen.

Tourist attractions

Although Shenzhen enjoys a good reputation for shopping and travel, some Hong Kong citizens are concerned about the relatively high crime rate in Shenzhen[citation needed]. Reports of businessmen and tourists being robbed and kidnapped in Shenzhen are not uncommon in Hong Kong newspapers.

Shenzhen's major tourist attractions include the Chinese Folk Culture Villages, the Window of the World, Happy Valley, Splendid China, the Safari Park in Nanshan district, the Dameisha Promenade, Xiaomeisha Beach Resort in Yantian district, Zhongying Street, Xianhu Lake Botanical Garden, and Minsk World. The city also offers free admission to a number of public parks including the Lianhuashan Park, Lizhi Park, Zhongshan Park and Wutongshan Park. Shenzhen is famous for the great variety of cuisines that its numerous restaurants provide.

Most tourists, however, choose to stay in a largely expatriate and exotic residential community called Shekou, home to a large French cruise liner cemented into the ground, confiscated on drug smuggling charges. Shekou was expanded and renovated in recent years, including claiming additional land from the sea.

Colleges and universities

    * Shenzhen University
    * Shenzhen Polytechnic
    * Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology
    * Shenzhen Graduate School of Peking University

Shenzhen will be the host city of the 2011 Summer Universiade.

Sister cities

    * Houston, United States March 1986
    * Brisbane, Australia June 1992.
    * Poznań, Poland July 1993
    * Kingston, Jamaica March 1995
    * Lomé, Togo June 1996
    * Nuremberg, Germany May 1997
    * Tsukuba, Japan June 2004
    * Gwangyang, South Korea October 2004
    * Johor Bahru, Malaysia July 2006
    * Perm, Russia 2006
    * Turin, Italy January 2007
    * Timi?oara, Romania February 2007
    * Rotherham, Great Britain November 2007

Get in

Visa

Obtaining a visa on arrival at Hong Kong / China border is possible, but usually only for the Shenzhen or Zhuhai Special Economic Zones. For example when crossing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen at Lo Wu MTR station a five day Shenzhen only visa can be obtained during extended office hours on the spot for HK$150 (Jan 2008 price) for passport holders of many nationalities, for example Irish. However citizens of the United States can not apply for a 'Shenzhen Visa', but have to apply for a tourist visa. United Kingdom Citizens can now get the visa at the Shenzhen border but the cost for UK citizens is upwards of 450RMB. Please see the China page for more Visa information.

By air

Shenzhen Bao'an Airport has domestic and international flights. Direct coach 330 (approx 25￥ at time of writing) connects the airport with downtown with its final stop next to the KeXueGuan Metro Station. Mini-bus K568 connects the airport with Shenzhen Rail Station in Luohu, which is within walking distance of the Lo Wu Border with Hong Kong. Other local buses serving the airport include 327 and 355.

The Shenzhen Bao'an Airport makes an excellent way of traveling domestically in China. While most cities in China have direct flights to Hong Kong they are MUCH more expensive than flights to Shenzhen. With good scheduling you can do your international travel through Hong Kong and then connect via buses or ferry to the Shenzhen airport for your domestic needs.

There is also a helicopter service from the Terminal Marítimo in Macau to Shenzhen airport[2], though it is very expensive.

Taxi fare from Shenzhen Airport to Lo Wu downtown will cost you around 100RMB plus RMB10 for toll.

From Hong Kong airport, there are very frequent bus and van services that can take you from the Hongkong airport to most hotels in Shenzhen. The bus/van fare is 190/250RMB. If you're a seasoned traveler, you can take the bus/van to Huanggang border, go through immigration and then get your own taxi to take you to where you want to go. The bus/van fare to Huanggang is 100/150RMB. The bus/van companies have counters inside the airport. The staff at the information booth should be able to direct you to the their counters. There is also ferry services from Hongkong airport to Shenzhen, check at the information desk for their schedule. A further alternative is to take "Skypier". This service takes you direct from HKIA to the mainland (Shenzhen or Zhuhai) without going through Hong Kong immigrations or Customs or in fact the city itself. There is a booth before you get to Immigration and you purchase your ticket and ask them to get your luggage transferred and then you go by bus to the ferry and then straight to China. It is cheaper and easier than going in to Hong Kong Central or Kowloon.

By land

Shenzhen had border train and bus connections to Hong Kong. There are trains to Guangzhou and buses to most nearby cities.

There are 4 land border crossings: Lok Ma Chau, Lo Wu, Sha Tau Kok and Man Kam To.

Lo Wu is the only port for train connections and the most popular connections - operating daily from 6:30am until midnight - so be aware that the last several trains do not go to Lo Wu. It is the last stop of the KCR East Rail train (HK section). East Rail, which connects to downtown Kowloon at East Tsim Sha Tsui, is the only way to reach Lo Wu. As it is in a restricted area, Lo Wu Station is only for travelling to Shenzhen or beyond, so a visa or other travel document is required to travel there without being fined.

The MTR East Rail Line commuter train which connects East Tsim Sha Tsui to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau with several intermediate stops mainly serves Hong Kong locals; it interchanges with the urban section of the MTR at Kowloon Tong Station and East Tsim Sha Tsui Terminal. For those traveling to or from Hong Kong Island, transfer to Cross Harbor Bus in Hung Hom Station or the Tsuen Wan Line at East Tsim Sha Tsui is recommended.

The journey from East Tsim Sha Tsui to Lo Wu takes 42 minutes and costs HK$33-$36.5; first class is charged double. Trains depart every few minutes but some short trips are operated in rush hour, so check the destination screen before boarding. The train can be crowed during rush hours as it serves millions of commuters along the line as well.

The road border crossings (such as Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang) are accessible by cross-boundary coaches from Hong Kong.

China Railway high-speed trains are available to Guangzhou, where there are more trains to the rest of China than are available in Shenzhen; not to imply Shenzhen's rail service is too limited. The CHR trains leave every thirty minutes during the day and tickets can be easily bought right before departure. Tickets can be purchased at CRH windows or at ticket machines.

By sea

There are ferries from Hong Kong (Tsimshasui and the airport), Macau, and Zhuhai. They land at the ferry terminal at Shekou. Hong Kong Ferry Info

Shenzhen Ferry Info (Chinese only, English website is under construction)

Getting around

The Shenzhen Metro is the most convenient and easy to understand method of transport around the Shenzhen city area. It is very affordable -- each ride is 5 yuan or less. The train comes about every 10 minutes.

Taxi meters start at 12.5 yuan for the first 3 kilometers, then 0.6 yuan for each 250 meters. Late night costs slightly higher.

Local buses run EVERYWHERE and start at 2 yuan for most trips. The longest bus trip in the city will cost 7 yuan. Smaller or "mini-"buses (there are more of them and they go to more places... they are very easy to find and they'll drop you off right at the door most times) start at 3 yuan. These were supposed to be phased out, but some are still operating. The mini-buses have now been phased out within the Special Economic Zone but are still around outside of it. Most bus lines operate every 5 minutes. be very careful of your wallet and try not to use your phone on a bus (it can get snatched out of your hand).

There are also an International Airport (Bao'an District) and long distance bus and train connections to just about anywhere in China. (Luohu station, Metro stop: Luohu, exit A. This is the same station as the connection to Hong Kong at Lo Wu. NOTE: Buses are located under the Shopping Center, while trains are located next door. As this is where the border crossing for Hong Kong is, the areas are very crowded all day long. Watch your belongings.)

Communication tips:

    * Get a card of your hotel (if you are lost and no one understands your Mandarin)
    * Get your hotel staff to write down the destination names for you on paper. You may also learn some phrases from the [Chinese phrasebook].
    * As a migrant city Mandarin is more widely spoken in Shenzhen than the Cantonese common elsewhere in the region. Taxi drivers are more likely to speak Mandarin than Cantonese.
    * Shenzhen is a linguistic melting pot. You will likely hear every dialect and accent of Mandarin as well as the Guangdong languages of Cantonese, Teochew, and Hakka.

See

    * Dafen Oil Painting Village, home to hundreds of artists duplicating classical Western paintings and doing original work, is accessible by bus 106 from Luohu (3 RMB).

    * Splendid China & Chinese Folk Culture Village is a miniature park of China. It has daily live dance performance in Window of the World, but , traditional fashion and culture show in two separate area. It contains 24 villages, houses and streets are built in 1:1 ratio. You can find the real people, culture, fashion, habits, religion, language and some foods of 56 nationalities in China, such as Miao, Yi, Bai, Mongol, Uygur and many others. You can find the famous Forbidden City, Terracotta Soldiers, Tibet Potala Palace, Huangshan Mountains, Yunnan's Stone Forest, and of course the Great Wall of China. This miniature park covers 300 thousand square meters, fully forested with beautiful greenery and flower. Do not miss the greatest colossal performance at Chinese Folk Culture Village. [Metro: Qiao Cheng Dong]

    * Window of The World allows you to travel around the world in one day. This 480,000 square meters park has a beautiful natural landscapes and wonderful lighting at night. Inside, you can climb the 1:3 ratio Eiffel Tower, Egyptian Pyramid, Pisa Tower, Taj Mahal of India, Grand Canyon, and other famous places of interest. [Metro: Shi Jie Zhi Chuang]

    * The He XiangNing Art Museum is China's second national modern art museum, in addition to the National Art Gallery of China. It contains an excellent collection of world-class modern paintings, and is currently host to to the "Fresh Eyes 06" exhibition. It is well worth a visit for anyone interested in art. He Xiangning Art Gallery is located in Overseas Chinese Town (OCT) of Shenzhen. It is accessible via Shenzhen Metro at Hua Qiao Cheng Station, Exit C (or, if closed, use Exit D). Walk west towards the McDonald's restaurant (in direction of terminus station, from Exit D towards Exit C). The art gallery is next door to McDonald's (on the left). Admission is just RMB20, and entrance is free on Fridays.

    * Happy Valley: a theme park

    * Shenzhen Garden and Flower Exposition Center is a huge outdoor park with a pagoda and beautiful waterfall.

    * Sea World is being fixed and repaired because of a recent storm that flooded most of it.

    * Safari Park Shenzhen

    * Shenzhen Horse Racing Club

    * Shiyan Lake Hot Spring Resort

    * Xian Hu Buddhist temple

Do

Massage

Shenzhen is a popular place for Hong Kong people to go to get a massage at a ridiculously cheap price compared with Hong Kong. A foot massage, pronounced “xi jiao”, (which actually often consists of massaging your shoulders, back, arms, legs, and feet!) costs RMB 25-50 for 60-80 minutes depending on the location, time of day, quality of the establishment, etc. A full-body massage (pronounced “an mo” or “song gu”) costs RMB 50-150 for 90-120 minutes. Some places offer a 3 hour massage consisting of 1 hour of foot massage plus 2 hours of full body massage for only RMB 68 (excluding tips). It is customary to give the masseuse/masseur a RMB 10 per hour tip at a minimum.

The "Queen Spa & Dining" is worth a special recommendation. For the ridiculous price of about RMB 96 you get 24 hours of access to a great variety of pools, saunas, showers, baths, relaxation lounges, sleeping capsules, personal TV screens, fruit and drink bars and much more. All kinds of massages are offered for a similarly low price, and you'll be pampered left and right all the way from entrance to exit. Including a meal or two and some two hours of massages you can spend a day like a king for a mere 500 RMB. The 96RMB entry fee is waived if a person gets over 168RMB worth of spa services!

Take a taxi to get there as there are no metro stations nearby. Queen Spa & Dining runs a shuttle to Lou Hu as well. This can be found at the basement by the bus depot.

Buy

    * Lo Wu (Luo Hu) Commercial City is just across form the Hong Kong border. It offers a very different experience to shopping in Hong Kong and is therefore worth a visit if only spending a short time in China. Spread over several levels are many small stores, each selling similar products: watches, jewellery, handbags, clothes and DVDs. These products are rarely authentic but are mostly impressively detailed fakes. There are many stallholders pressuring shoppers to part with their money but the atmosphere is one of enjoyable bartering. This is the place to go for Western sizes in clothing and shoes! This is also the place to go to have massages and nails done dirt cheap as well. 

    * Dong Men Pedestrian Street is the place to go for clothes and small-ticket items. This place is better than Luohu Commercial City in terms of price and range of items. Other than several department stores, most are smaller stalls. The price is cheap, even at local standard. You can easily spend a day there. 

    * Dong Hai Pacific Mall New movie theatre and 4 level mall, featuring array of restaurants, coffee shops, clothing and other goods. In the heart of (Dong Hai) neighborhood on the westside of (the FuTian district). Just 2 blocks from the Sam's Club/Cinema complex (see below). Accessible from (CheGongMiao metro station).

    * Wal Mart stores (8 and growing!), as well as Carrefour, and Sam's Club. Sam's membership is RMB150. In Futian, they are also building a hugh Sam's/Wal Mart/ multi-plex theatre.

    * MixC Shopping Mall is for now the largest (and easily the most expensive) shopping mall in Shenzhen. Highlights include the following: Olympic size indoor Ice Skating Rink, Golden Harvest Cinema movie theater, Ole - high end supermarket with many imported items, Spaghetti House, Starbucks, and Taco Bell (not the fast food variety, but an actual restaurant).

    * Hua Qiang Bei is much like Dong Men, this is the place for anything electronic. Starbucks is here too. 

    * Jusco, the Japanese supercenter if you crave western stuff, it's here. Next door to the CITIC Mall - with Starbucks.

    * KingGlory Plaza - it's a mall, along the lines of MixC...high priced. Does have a movie theater as well as the IN bar/nightclub (that's the name of it) and YELLOW bar.

    * Shekou is the expat hangout...everything western that you might crave. And they have Western food at the local ParkNShop Store too. Bus numbers 113, K113, 204, K204 and 328 to the end of the line (to the West) will get you to Shekou.

    * Shenzhen Book City is a huge bookstore with a great selection of books, music, movies, and multimedia products. The bookstore is the second biggest in the country. 5033 Shennandong Road at Jinshan Plaza. 

    * Coco Park New shopping mega complex, located near(shopping center Gou Wu Gong Yuan) metro station. Sports clothing, fashion, some restaurants, including "Norway.Oslo" which has some outdoor seating.

    * SEG Electronics Market A huge market for all things electronic. The first two floors are components (ICs, wires, switches, etc.) and the other 4 floors will supply you with any electronic device your heart desires.

    * Mingtong Electronics Market Few minutes from the SEG market houses watch parts, electronic toys, and Mobile phone parts.

    * Central Walk Another Shopping complex in Shenzhen. Base tenant is Carrefour, but also has usual shops, restaurants and a cinema. Starbucks and Italian Best Coffee ( Illy Coffee ) are located here. Subway ( Sandwiches ) also have opened here. Located one block away from the exhibition centre on Fuhua Road. Take Metro to Exhibition Centre stop and Central Walk is located at exit B. 5 minutes walk from Coco Park.

Major credit cards i.e. Visa, Masters, HSBC are accepted. JCB and American Express have limited coverage. Cirrus, Plus & Maestro facilities allow owners to withdraw money from banks. Remember to activate your card for the pin usage. MixC has ATMs for some of the international Credit Cards, wherein cash can be withdrawn in those ATMs against your credit limit.

Bank of China, China Merchants Bank, and most Chinese banks accept foreign cards. You may check with your bank to see if they have a local branch here. Most ATMs are open for 24 hours. Some are only opened if you swipe the card at the security doors.

At places at Luo Hu, Cash is highly recommended. Some places charge an extra 10% for credit card purchases. The shop assistants will bring you to shops that have credit card processing machines. At Shopping centers, remember to check with the cashiers to see if they accept credit cards before making purchases. There are few shopping centers that accept credit card with passport verification, though you may lose your discount on the purchase.

For currency information, see the China page.

Eat

It would be a lie to say that food preparation standards in mainland China, including Shenzhen are up to the standards in Hong Kong or the developed world. That being said, to not eat local food, is a great disservice to yourself. Chinese food, especially local food is fantastic! from super spicy dishes, to sweet and delicate yummy dishes, to fresh fish pulled right from the ocean, Shenzhen has it all. As a migrant city, all of the regional cuisines of China are represented with restaurants ranging from hole-in-the-wall establishments for working class arrivals to opulent restaurants for businessmen and politicians entertaining guests. If you are a foreigner, spending 100 RMB on a fantastic meal is no problem (though, you can spend 35 RMB on a fantastic meal in Shenzhen). Treat yourself, and enjoy the wonderful foods of Shenzhen!

Food Poisoning is common in mainland China especially for foreigners who are not accustomed to local water and food. Food from street stalls, food which is uncooked, raw vegetables (e.g. salads) or unpeeled fruits may make you sick. Washing doesn't help, because tap water in China is generally unclean. If you get food poisoning easily, stick to big companies with a reputation to protect, such as McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Cafe de Coral, etc. In summary, be sensible but do not miss out on the chance to enjoy Chinese delights - you are in China, after all!

There are lots of bars and restaurants in Shekou which is the main residential zone for Shenzhen's sizable Western expatriate community. There are plenty of eateries in the HuaQiangBei area, for non-china based brands :- McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, AijiSen.

Overseas Chinese Town (OCT) is famous for its numerous dining options, including some of the best Korean restaurants in Shenzhen. All within easy walking distance from the Hua Qiao Cheng (OCT) metro station, behind the recently opened InterContinental Shenzhen Hotel.

Recommendations:

    * (Celebrity Club), Specializing in Cantonese food, and famous for "dim sum", DongHai, FuTian
    * Tivoli Ristorante Italiano & Bar [5], Sea World, Shekou
    * Xiao Fei Yang (Literal translation "little plump lamb"), lamb meat imported from Mongolia, it is a steam boat based Mongolia cuisine. There are other meats and vegetable ingredients for the steam boat on the menu. One type of steamboat is called 'Yung Yong' - the steamboat is separated into two halves - one half contains normal non-spicy soup stock & the other half contains 'Ma la' (literal translation:- numbing spicy) soup stock.
    * Prince Kitchen, 5-6/F, CITIC Plaza, 1093 Shennan Zhong Road. Serves fantastic mix of Japanese, Thai, Chinese and Steaks. Even whilst being quite dark inside, you can still see it is very stylish.

Drink

Tap Water is not safe to drink in any part of China. You should boil it continuously for 1-2 minutes in order to kill bacteria, spores, etc. Some hotels have free bottled or distilled water in their rooms but such water may still make you sick. Try it but if you get a stomach ache soon afterwards, stop drinking it (or boil it first).

    * The Terrace Live Music & Thai Food, Seaworld, Shekou
    * McCawley's Irish Bar & Restaurant, Shekou
    * Mustang Sally's (Shekou) (Closed due to flooding)
    * French Kiss, Seaworld, Shekou (Closed due to flooding)
    * The Beatles, Seaworld, Shekou
    * X-Ta-Sea, Seaworld, Shekou
    * Soho, Shekou
    * Beer Paradise (lots and lots and lots of beer), Shekou
    * Mary's Bar (watch the girls walk to work), Shekou
    * Vbar, Windows of the World, (on the 3rd floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. See below.)
    * Ibiza, Hua Qiang Bei
    * Fire Bar, LuoHu
    * UBar, LuoHu (on Jiabin Road)
    * Class Club, LuoHu (on the 5th Floor of the Centruy Plaza Hotel)
    * Kingway beer factory and beer gardens, Luo Hu
    * Yes Bar, LuoHu

Note: If you want to drink beer, Tsing Tao is a popular Chinese beer or try Shenzhen's own Kingway beer, brewed in two locations in Shenzhen and available in any convenient store, bar, or restaurant. In stores such as a.best or walmart it will cost 3.50 rmb for a can, or 3.80rmb for a large bottle(need bottle opener); 7-eleven sells for 9 rmb, and local restaurants about 12rmb to 35rmb.. bars will typically be in the 55-80 rmb range, though may have specials such as 2 for 1.

Stay safe

Shenzhen has lots of pickpockets, especially in areas like bus and train stations.

Leave your passports in the Hotel's safe deposit. Stash some cash in your pants pocket.

Be carefull to exchange the cash only with recognised place or person as they may give you the fake currency. Always keep the change(small currency notes) in your pocket while taking a taxi.