Shenzhen – from fishing village to mega city

This is the second part of our 144-hour visa-free trip to Guangdong province in China.  We flew from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, took the high speed train to Shenzhen and would exit China via Macau. For this leg, we stayed in Shenzhen for 3 nights and went to Macau on Turbo jet and stayed for 1 night

Atour Hotel Shenzhen Huaqiangnorth Pedestrian Street

There’re many Atour hotels in China, 11 in Shenzhen alone! I chose the one on Huaqiangnorth Pedestrian Street because it’s literally around the corner from Huaqiangbei Electronics Market, my partner’s spiritual home!! This was the only place we ever went to on our previous day trips from Hong Kong to Shenzhen!

Anyway, we were delighted with the hotel itself. It’s conveniently located, being just opposite Exit A (via the accessible elevator) of Line 2 of the metro. Its appearance does not do justice to the hotel which occupies Floors 8 to 10 of the building with its own elevator. The interiors are expected of a 4* hotel. Our room was of normal size and comfortable.

While checking in, we were given a cup of tea – a lovely touch!

The hotel breakfast, at ¥48 per person, at its comfortable restaurant was great value for money! We were mindful to have our breakfast shortly after 7.00 to avoid the peak hour of between 8.00 and 9.00

Shenzhen

In 1979 Shenzhen joined Hong Kong and Macau as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China and it has not looked back since! From being a fishing village and a Chinese outpost bordering Hong Kong with a population of about 30,000, Shenzhen now has a population of over 17 millions.
It’s also the high-tech capital of China and one of the top 20 in the world. It is home to BYD (EV giant) DGI (the world’s biggest drone maker), Huawei (telecom equipment and phone makers) amongst others.  

It’s said that Beijing is the Chinese city of the past, Shanghai the city of the present and Shenzhen the city of the future. I would not argue with this statement. The progress that I’ve witnessed from my visits to Shenzhen over the decades is nothing short of miraculous!

Two very noticeable changes I observed during this visit were (1) it has become virtually cashless. Everyone was paying by WeChat or Alipay even at market stalls. The only time I saw cash was when the foreigner in front of us in a queue buying a train ticket

(2) how quiet and unpolluted the city has become! Most of the vehicles on the road seemed to be electric. I’ve since read that in 2023 Shenzhen’s EV penetration rate was about 68%, nearly double the national average of 36%.

Huaqiang North (華強北)

Huaqiang North is a business and commercial district rather than a normal tourist destination. However it’s a must-visit destination for seekers of electronic gadgets!

Huaqiangbei Electronics Market is like a magnet to traders and enthusiasts alike but it’s not confined to one building. There’re various buildings in the area, all within walking distance from each other, housing traders selling everything connected with computers, mobile phones, drones, lights, camera equipment and all sorts of gadgets.

While waiting to cross the road my attention was drawn to this signage depicting the core values of socialism which I think is uniquely Chinese

社会主义核心价值观 – 富強民主 – 文明和谐 -自由平等 – 公正法治– 愛国敬业 – 诚信友善

Translation: Socialism core values – rich, powerful and democratic, civilised and harmonious, free and equal, just rule of law, patriotic and dedicated, honest and friendly

Fairy Lake Botanical Garden

In 2003 when I visited Fairy Lake with a friend on a day trip from Hong Kong, it was just a lake. Now Fairy Lake is part of a massive botanical garden rated a National 4A-level tourist attraction. The garden consists of six different scenic spots.

In the 3 hours that we spent there, we were only able to reach the lake from the entrance and back via a long path and then a series of steps lined by palm trees!

The St. Regis Shenzhen Hotel

It was late afternoon when we left Fairy Lake. As a reward for our exertion we treated ourselves to dinner at The St. Regis Shenzhen Hotel. It’s located in the prestigious Kingkey building aka K100 Tower which was the 8th tallest building in the world back in 2011.

The hotel Reception and lounge bar on floor 96 and Elba Italian restaurant on floor 99 both afford breathtaking panoramic views of Shenzhen and northern Hong Kong. We opted for the Italian restaurant and had a table by the window. It was a feast for the eyes seeing dusk giving way to darkness!

The food was sumptuous, though not cheap by Shenzhen standard. However it’s a price well worth paying for a YOLO (You only Live Once) experience!!

Underground shops and eateries

We were joined by my brother and sister-in-law for the last two days of our stay in Shenzhen. Suddenly we were going places as they know Shenzhen like the back of their hands! We spent a morning of shopping at Huaqiangbei (Huaqiang North) for electronic gadgets and clothes! There’re eateries along this passage to the metro station lit by cool neon signs

Shenzhen Zhongshuge bookstore 深圳鍾書閣

Shenzhen Zhongshuge bookstore was opened in 2021. It must be one of the coolest bookstores in the world! It’s located within the massive OH Bay shopping area. Most of the people were there to pose for photos inside the amazing interiors rather than make purchases!

OH Bay 歡樂港灣

OH Bay is a massive leisure complex with various shops and restaurants. It was opened to the public in August 2020. This enormous development is right next to the waterfront with the 128-metre high Ferris wheel as a focal point

Gankeng Ancient Town 甘坑古鎮

We had a rest back in the hotel and waited until late afternoon to visit Gankeng Ancient Town. The distance from our hotel in Huaqiang North was about 44 km and took about 50 minutes. Our taxi (DiDi) fare was ¥35 (about £4!!) Absolute bargain!

Gankeng Ancient Town is a Hakka ancient village with a history of over three hundred years. It’s full of old style Chinese buildings which have been converted into restaurants and craft shops. Many more traditional food stalls line the streets.

As there’s no charge for entrance, the place was heaving with people with hired ancient Chinese costumes posing for photos

The Twenty-Four Histories Academy 二十四史書院

The Twenty-Four Histories Academy is a short walk from Gankeng Ancient Town. As there’s an entrance fee there were notably fewer people around. After 17.30 the entrance fee was only ¥39 (¥60 from 9.30 to 17.30), it’s definitely the best time to visit. Apart from the reduced entrance fee, the lighting adds to the atmosphere at dusk.

The Twenty-Four Histories is the official Chinese dynastic history covering the period from the earliest dynasty in 3000 BC to the Ming dynasty in the 17th century. The buildings of the academy replicate the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty.

East Gate (Dong Men) 東門

It’s also known by the Chinese name as Dong Men. It’s a famous pedestrian area directly above Laojie (Old Street) metro station Exit A. The streets bustled with activities when we arrived at 21.30 and continued until 22.30 when we left, after we had our late night desserts!!

Shenzhen Shekou Cruise Terminal

We took the metro to Shekou station for our Turbojet crossing to Macau. I thought the ferry terminal would be right next door and was surprised when told that it would take at least 20 minutes to walk there! Luckily a taxi went by.

When the driver dropped us off outside to Shekou Cruise Terminal I thought he took us to the wrong place! It definitely resembled more a posh cruise terminal than a ferry port!!

144-hour visa-free trip to China ended in Macau

The crossing from Shekou to Macau took 1 hour by Turbojet. We stayed one night at Legend Palace Hotel which is right next to the ferry terminal. It was a happy return for us as we loved this hotel!

Our 144-hour visa-free trip to China ended with dinner in Macau with a dear old friend. With hindsight it would have been easier and cheaper had my partner paid for a visa to go to China; our trip would be less restrictive and with less hassle. Still, it was a challenge and we can always learn from experiences, good or bad.

On the positive side I saw new sights for new memories

Finally I managed to get this fridge magnet of Shenzhen at Zhongshuge bookstore.