Shenzhen

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Introduction

Shenzhen is a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) just across the border from Hong Kong, in China's Guangdong Province. It saw spectactular growth from the 1980's onwards, growing from a village to one of the biggest cities in China. Now a thriving metropolis with many dense skyscrapers, shop and technology companies.
It is also one of the richest with lots of business and trading going on. Being South China's financial centre, it is home to the Shenzhen stock exchange, one of only 3 trading in China.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

• Window of the World is a somewhat tacky tourist attraction. 130 miniture reproductions of the world's most famous sights are presented here. A cheap way to visit the world. (RMB120)
• ShenZhen Splendid China Folk Culture Village displays the life of China's 56 ethnic minorities.
• Xichong beach

Events and Festivals

Shenzhen celebrates the same festivals that are common throughout the rest of China, including:

• Chinese New Year or Spring Festival
• Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival

Weather

Weather is comparable with that of neighbouring Hong Kong with hot and humid summers from May to September (monsoon season as well) and cooler (but still not cold) winters from December to February. March - April and October - November are pleasant times for a visit.

Getting There

By Plane

Shenzhen Airport has flights to most destinations throughout China. It is more economical flying to/from Shenzhen compared to Hong Kong. To get to/from the airport there is a regular bus service from the main bus station next to the train station taking 1 hour.

Lowcost airline Air Asia has daily flights to/from Kuala Lumpur (~RMB1000, 4 hours), Kota Kinabalu (~RMB1500, 4 hours) and Bangkok (~RMB900, 4 hours).

By Train

Frequent trains go to Guangzhou and you can choose between highspeed trains (less than an hour, RMB75) or local trains (about 2 hours). Trains to Hong Kong leave frequently. The border with Hong Kong can also be crossed by foot.

By Car

By Bus

There are regular services to Chaozhou (5 hours), Guangzhou (1,5 hours), Shantou (4 hours), Xiamen (8 hours) and Zhongshan (1,5 hours). Hong Kong is a short hop away or can be reached on foot from the bus station.

By Boat

Fast ferries go 13 times daily to Hong Kong with about half of them continuing to Macau.
There are hourly services to the airport of Hong Kong as well. These all leave from Shekou, Shenzhen's port.
From Shenzhen airport, there are 6 daily services to Hong Kong and 3 to Macau.
Zhuhai has ferries roughly every half hour (taking one hour).
Boats go all the way to Haikou, taking 18 hours.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

There are many internet cafes to be found where many of the local people play computer games. Internet typically costs RMB 1-3 per hour.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

SIM cards can be cheaply from one of the many mobile phone outlets in the city. Some carriers incur a roaming fee if used outside of Guangdong province and should be aware before making calls (although rates are still cheap by western standards).

Post

The cheapest way to send letters or packages abroad are by one of the many China Posts. The maximum weight they can ship is 30kg. If sending abroad, remember to include the destination country in Chinese characters or it may not be delivered.