From Wikitravel

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

[edit] Understand

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.

[edit] Get in

[edit] 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. 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. 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.

[edit] 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.

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.

[edit] 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.

For more details, check the MTR web site: http://www.mtr.com.hk

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.

[edit] 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)

[edit] 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 yuan or less. The train comes about every 10 minutes. Here are some useful web resources:

• Shenzhen Metro official website (Chinese)
• Unofficial Map and station names (English)
• Bilingual Shenzhen Metro Flash Map

Taxi meters start at 12.5 yuan for the first 2 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.

[edit][add listing] 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 (何香凝美术馆) [3] 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 (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 RMB20, and entrance is free on Fridays.

• Happy Valley: a theme park [4]

• Shenzhen Garden and Flower Exposition Center is a huge outdoor park with a pagoda and beautiful waterfall. [Metro: Qiao Cheng Dong, exit A] Admission is RMB50.

• 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

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit] 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.

[edit][add listing] 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. [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 standard. 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 westside 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 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). [Metro: Da Ju Yuan, exit C-3]

• Hua Qiang Bei is 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, it's here. Next door to the CITIC Mall - with Starbucks. [Metro: Ke Xue Guan, exit D]

• 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. [Metro: Guo Mao, exit A]

• 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. [Metro: Ke Xue Guan, exit A]

• 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 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.

[edit][add listing] 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:

• 名人 (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.

[edit][add listing] 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 (金威啤酒) 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.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Sunshine Hotel Shenzhen (Sunshine Hotel Shenzhen), [6]. 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 consistant standard rooms with very reasonable prices.

• Crowne Plaza Hotel (Aka Venice Shen Zhen Hotel in Mandarin), it is a 4 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 3 stops from the border. Very new and clean hotel, excellent services for business and leisure travelers. Also includes free Wi-Fi internet access. Staff speak English reasonably well.

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

• Windsor Hotel (温莎酒店) - in Nanshan 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) start at 168 RMB per night. 2062 Nanxin Road in Nanshan District.

• LOFT International Youth Hostel - Double Bed Room for 168 rmb. Bigger suites avalable up to 3 bedroom, for under 400 rmb. Offers beds in its dormitories at between 50-60 RMB/night, with a 100 RMP deposit. Modern place with keycards, free Wifi, and a supermarket adjacent.

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.

Local Spas - for 80 rmb, you can get a massage, swim and relax, before sleeping. Not ideal conditions, but for 80 rmb, why complain?

Note: At Chinese New Year (usually February), prices may double or increase many fold.

[edit] 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 most 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 yuan 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.

[edit] Get out

• Hong Kong

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