Shenzhen

Shenzhen (深圳 Shēnzhèn) is a border town in Guangdong, China right across from Hong Kong.

In 1979, Shenzhen (then a series of sleepy fishing villages among the estuaries facing Hong Kong) was designated the first of China's Special Economic Zones (SEZ). The plan was to create a sealed off enclave to experiment with market reforms and performance incentives without posing a threat or risk to the established economic system elsewhere in China. Shenzhen won the honor as it could easily connect to the capital and management resources of Hong Kong and serve as a buffer between a more open border with Hong Kong and the rest of mainland China. Currently it has a population of approximately 8 million, compared to only 30 thousand in the 1980s.

As a purely economic creation, the city lacks much in terms of historical sites but much like Las Vegas, if you have enough money, anything is possible. Since the 1990s, Shenzhen has cultivated tourism and shopping as another cash cow to supplement industry. The various theme parks and shopping arcades attest to all Shenzhen now has to offer to those with an interest other than business.

Get in

Visa

In most cases, a visa should be obtained from a Chinese embassy or consulate before arriving anywhere in China. Obtaining a visa on arrival at Hong Kong-China border is no longer possible for US Citizens, it now takes 3-4 days and cost HK$470-1080. It is no longer worth the cost and you may be forced to pay expensive hotel bills in Hong Kong until your visa is granted. RMB (or renminbi ¥, the currency of mainland China) has also made the HK conversion not attractive, but usually only for the Shenzhen or Zhuhai Special Economic Zones. The Lo Wu (Luohu) visa office can be reached at tel. +86 755 8232 7700. According to the ferry transfer desk in Hong Kong airport, the visa office in Shekou is able to issue such visas before 5PM, but currently this is no longer possible for foreigners. 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 ¥450. Please see the China page for more Visa information. You will have to show airline ticket and hotel accommodation in China before any visa is granted and will be only single entry for 30 days only and this applies to all foreigners. It is now a major issue for anyone trying to do business in China.

You can get a taxi van that will take for from HK Airport to LoWu Station, through customs and immigration, for HK$150. Well worth it if you have a valid visa. The drivers and or desk staff will speak good English.

Sub-provincial city —

Shenzhen reflection showing Shun Hing Square in center

Location of Shenzhen within Guangdong in China

By air

Shenzhen Bao'an Airport [1] 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.

For those who plan to travel to other mainland Chinese cities from Hong Kong, Shenzhen airport makes a viable alternative to Hong Kong International Airport. While most cities in China have direct flights to Hong Kong they are much more expensive than flights to Shenzhen as flights between the mainland and Hong Kong are considered to be international flights and hence, priced as such. 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, but make sure you have your visa ready before you attempt this. The downside is that Shenzhen airport is not quite as efficient or reliable as that of Hong Kong, so flight delays are more common, and information on delays may be more difficult to obtain.

• Bangkok Airways[2] fly direct from Bangkok, Thailand.
• Air Asia[3] fly direct from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.

There is also a helicopter service from the Terminal Marítimo in Macau to Shenzhen airport [4], though it is very expensive.

Taxi fare from Shenzhen Airport to Lo Wu downtown will cost you around ¥100 plus ¥10 for toll.

From Hong Kong airport, there are very frequent bus and van services that can take you from the Hong Kong airport to most hotels in Shenzhen. The bus/van fare is ¥190-250. 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 ¥100-150. 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 Hong Kong 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. If you exit China this way you get HKD120 departure tax given to you when you arrive at HKIA.

By land

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

There are 5 land border crossings: Lok Ma Chau, Lo Wu, Sha Tau Kok, Man Kam To and Shenzhen Wan which is the new bridge across the bay..

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, it is recommended to transfer to Cross Harbor Bus in Hung Hom Station or the Tsuen Wan Line at East Tsim Sha Tsui.

The journey from East Tsim Sha Tsui to Lo Wu takes 42 minutes and costs HK$33-36.50, 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.

For more details, check the MTR web site [5].

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 CRH 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.

Shennan Dadao

Since February 2003, the road border crossing at Huanggang and Lok Ma Chau in Hong Kong

By sea

There are ferries from Hong Kong (TsimShaTsui, Central -also know as HongKong/Macau and the airport), Macau, and Zhuhai. They land at the ferry terminal at Shekou. There is further information available online: Hong Kong Ferry Info [6], Shenzhen Ferry Info [7] (site only in Chinese, English version under construction).

Shenzhen Night View

Getting around

The Shenzhen Metro (深圳地铁) is the most convenient and easy to understand method of transport around the Shenzhen city area. It is very affordable, each ride is ¥5 or less. The train comes about every 10 minutes. Here are some useful web resources:

• Shenzhen Map [8]
• Shenzhen Metro official website (Chinese) [9]
• Unofficial Map and station names (English) [10]
• Bilingual Shenzhen Metro Flash Map [11]

Taxi meters start at ¥12.50 for the first 2 kilometers, then ¥0.60 for each 250 meters. Late night costs slightly higher.

Local buses run everywhere and start at ¥2 for most trips. The longest bus trip in the city will cost ¥7. Smaller or "mini-"buses start at ¥3, they generally drop you off right at the door. The mini-buses were supposed to be phased out, but some are still operating. They 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 is also an International Airport in the Bao'an District. Planes in China are often late (3-4hours) so don't expect to leave on time, and many flights are late all over China. Beijing is by far on the bottom of the list for OTP, whereas long distance bus and train connections to just about anywhere in China leave on time. (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).

• Happy Valley Theme Park, [12].

• He XiangNing Art Museum (何香凝美术馆) [13] — 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 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 (华侨城) 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 ¥20, and entrance is free on Fridays.

• Minsk World [14] — A military theme park centered around the former Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk. The island, flight deck, second and fifth decks of the carrier can be toured. A short film on the carrier's history can be viewed in a small theater to the left of the entrance from the shore. Many key captions and display boards are in English, but Mandarin is predominant. There are tour guides stationed at various exhibits that will give brief explanations of them in Mandarin only. Periodic performances with a military theme occur on the flight deck and fifth deck. For ¥30, you can take a 5 minute motorboat ride around the starboard side of the Minsk and get a good view of it that is not possible from the shore. There are also several exhibits of PLA military equipment on the grounds. Admission is ¥110. The park can be reached via taxi from Lo Hu.

• Safari Park Shenzhen.

• Sea World — Currently being fixed and repaired because of a recent storm that flooded most of it.

• Shenzhen Garden and Flower Exposition Center — A huge outdoor park with a pagoda and beautiful waterfall. Metro: Qiao Cheng Dong, exit A. Admission is ¥50.

• Shenzhen Horse Racing Club.

• Shiyan Lake Hot Spring Resort.

• Splendid China & Chinese Folk Culture Village — A miniature park of China. It contains 24 villages, houses and streets are built in 1:15 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 — 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.

• Xian Hu Buddhist Temple.

Shenzhen Museum

Located at No. 1008 on Shennan Road Central, Shenzhen Museum is one of the eight "cultural establishments" in the early 1980s in Shenzhen. Construction started in February 1984 and the museum opened to the public in November 1988. The museum features both traditional and modern architectural styles and was awarded second prize in the design contest for the best public cultural facilities in China. The museum houses local historical and cultural relics and was visited by former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other Party and State leaders and heads of state from 81 countries.

Buy

• Lo Wu (Luo Hu) Commercial City is just across from 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 they are often very well made and 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. Metro: Luohu, exit A.

• 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 standards. You can easily spend a day there. Metro: Lao Jie, exit A.

• 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 东海 (Dong Hai) neighborhood on the west side of 福田区 (the FuTian district). Just 2 blocks from the Sam's Club/Cinema complex (see below). Accessible from 车公庙地铁站 (CheGongMiao metro station).

• Wal Mart — Currently there are 8 stores but more are being built all the time. Also check out Carrefour, and Sam's Club. Sam's membership is ¥150. In Futian, they are building a huge 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). Metro: Da Ju Yuan, exit C-3.

• Hua Qiang Bei — Much like Dong Men, this is the place for anything electronic. Starbucks is here too. Metro: Hua Qiang Lu, exit A.

• Jusco — The Japanese supercenter if you crave western stuff has a location in Shenshen, next door to the CITIC Mall (which also has Starbucks). Metro: Ke Xue Guan, exit D.

• KingGlory Plaza — A mall, along the lines of MixC. It is fairly high priced. It includes a movie theater as well as the "IN" bar/nightclub (that's the name of it) and "Yellow" bar. Metro: Guo Mao, exit A.

• Shekou — The expat hangout with everything western that you might be accustomed to. And they have Western food at the local Park-N-Shop 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, 5033 Shennandong Rd, Jinshan Plaza, Metro: Ke Xue Guan, exit A. This is a huge bookstore with a great selection of books, music, movies, and multimedia products. The bookstore is the second biggest in the country.

• Coco Park — New shopping mega complex, located near 购物公园 (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 has 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 throughout Shenzhen. 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 in 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.

Sleep

Shanghai Hotel

Located on Shennan Road Central, the Shanghai Hotel officially opened in 1985. It was a landmark building during the early period of the development of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, with the area to its east recognized as the urban area and the area to its west the suburb.

• Shenzhen Guest House [15]. Located at the center of the busy Dongmen Commercial Area, this 3-star hotel has 584 well-kept guestrooms on offer. Business and leisure facilities are also available to suit a variety of needs.

• Sunshine Hotel Shenzhen (Sunshine Hotel Shenzhen), [16]. Sunshine Hotel locates in Luohu commercial district, Shenzhen, only a five minute walk brings you to the center of business, shopping, entertainment, and the Guomao Metro Station (Exit A). edit

• Home Inns — It is the biggest and most reliable economy hotel chain in China. It features high quality and consistent standard rooms with very reasonable prices.

• Crowne Plaza Hotel (Aka Venice Shen Zhen Hotel in Mandarin) — A four star hotel, located near Window of the World Train station, the Window of the World & Happy Valley (Amusement park). Nice facilities, seasoned staff and excellent service.

• Holiday Inn — Right in the middle of the center and only three stops from the border. Very new and clean hotel, excellent services for business and leisure travelers. Also includes free Wi-Fi internet access. The staff speaks English reasonably well.

• Oriental Ginza, Futian district. Four star hotel with excellent service, English speaking staff, and services for both business and leisure travelers. Also includes free internet access. You can get a huge room for less than US$60/night.

• Windsor Hotel (温莎酒店), 2062 Nanxin Rd, Anshan District. While a little far out of the way the staff is friendly (although English is limited) and the hotel is quiet and clean. Sizable doubles with air conditioning, private bathrooms and free internet (they provide the cable). Rooms start at ¥168 per night.

• LOFT International Youth Hostel - Double Bed Room for ¥168. Bigger suites available up to 3 bedroom, for under ¥400. Offers beds in its dormitories at between ¥50-60 /night, with a ¥100 deposit. Modern place with keycards, free Wi-Fi, and a nearby supermarket. The hostel can be a bit difficult to find, it is in an industrial estate quite far from the center. Take the metro to Qiaochengdong, head out through Exit A and continue straight along Shennan road for a hundred meters. You will see one massive sign, and several smaller ones, marking a building ahead on your right with "KONKA". Turn right just before that, onto En Ping street. Take a left at the T-section and continue along En Ping, the hostel will be on your right hand side.

• Intercontinental Shenzhen - A "first-class" hotel which is almost considered a 6-star rating. With a fine selection of foods including Chinese, Mediterranean, Italian, Seafood, and a wide variety of desserts can be found in it's buffet- roughly ¥300. If you are looking for a simple meal that's relatively cheap, you can go to their Chinese restaurant which has a perfect atmosphere to anyone who attends a meal there. Prices of the basic rooms are around ¥1,498.00- ¥1,678.00, and the more deluxe rooms range from ¥1,648.00- ¥5,678.00, [17].

• Jin Jiang Shenzhen Airlines Hotel[18]. A five-star hotel in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Offers elegant rooms with city views, banquet hall, conference rooms, health club with indoor pool, and room service. Local Spas — For ¥80 you can get a massage, swim, and relax, before sleeping. Not ideal conditions, but the price is right. Note: At Chinese New Year (usually February), prices may double or increase many fold. ==Stay safe== Crime levels in Shenzhen are significantly higher than in neighbouring Hong Kong. That being said, it is still no reason to panic as the crime levels are still comparable with any of the great Western cities like Sydney, London or New York. Use your usual commonsense and avoid going to deserted places alone at night, and you will probably be fine. Shenzhen has lots of pickpockets, especially in areas like bus and train stations. Leave your passports in the Hotel's safe deposit. Divide your cash by stuffing some in your pants pocket too. Be careful to exchange money only with recognized places or people as they may give you fake currency. To be safe, only do your currency exchange at the Bank of China. Be sure to keep an eye on the bigger notes (¥100 especially) given during payment to the salespeople, they may exchange it under the table while you are not watching and claim that you have given them a fake note. It is recommended to always keep loose change (smaller denominations) while taking a taxi or shopping at the market. LoWu District and particularly the old part is REAL Chinese culture. You will not find any westerners there but if you are friendly and patient you will discover that the people although very poor by any standards are full of life and very honest. Almost no one will speak any English in this district but don't let that put you off. BE POLITE and FRIENDLY and remember not to shake hands like a hairy foreigner. Be gentle. These are gentle and genuinely nice honest people, in my experience. Although many of the shop holders will go to the electronices district and other places to buy items to resell the bargains are fabulous. Try not to buy too many shoes. They have a wide selection at great prices. You can catch a 97 bus from in front of the Golden Business Centre (Bentley) for 2 yuan but in the old villiage the bus stops are not marked. You will know when you are close because the streets will be packed with people with bicycles taxis buses and cars going both directions with no apparent concern about road rules as westerners know it. ==Get out== *Hong Kong

Luohu Checkpoint Building

Luohu Checkpoint was the first Customs and immigration checkpoint in Shenzhen. Located on the northern bank of Shenzhen River in Huohu District, the new Luohu Checkpoint Building was completed in April 1985. Luohu Checkpoint boasts the heaviest entry and exit traffic of all the overland checkpoints in China, serving as an important gateway connecting the Chinese mainland with Hong Kon

Posted in: China