Shenzhen (Shēnzhèn) is a city in Guangdong province in the south of China, next to Hong Kong. Once there was a small fishing village, but in a short period of time (sometime since 1980), Shenzhen has grown into a major industrial, financial and transportation center of the Pearl River Delta economic region and the whole country as a whole. However, the development of Shenzhen has been heavily invested both by China and abroad. Today, we can safely say that Shenzhen is one of the ten most actively developing cities in China, and at the same time it is the leader in terms of exports. In addition, it is a city with a high standard of living.
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Shenzhen is a city of magnificent skyscrapers, natural parks and one of the most famous and largest centers of the electronics and electrical industry. In 2008, UNESCO awarded Shenzhen the title of “Creative City of Design”, and in 2011, the XXVI World Summer Universiade was held here, which also contributed to the renewal and expansion of infrastructure.
How to get there
The easiest way to get to Shenzhen is from neighboring Hong Kong, arriving at the airport where you can get to your destination as follows:
- by ferry that departs from the pier of the Hong Kong airport “SkyPier” and sails to Shenzhen for half an hour;
- by direct bus that departs from Coach Station. During the trip, passengers will have to cross the border twice, go through passport and customs control;
- by regular bus A43;
- by subway to Lo Wu station, where you can go through passport and customs control before entering the city;
- by taxi to the Lok Ma Chau / Huanggang border crossing.
There are six border crossings between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang, Lok Ma Chau/Futian Kou’an, Lo Wu/Luohu, Sha Tau Kok/Shatoujiao, Man Kam To/Wenjindu and Shenzhen Wan. They have dual names: one in Cantonese (from Hong Kong), the other in Mandarin (from mainland China).
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Weather in Shenzhen
Shenzhen lies in the subtropical zone, the climate here is hot and humid. The proximity of the sea also influences the weather conditions: thanks to it, the winter here is mild, without a lot of precipitation, frosts are very rare.
The rainy season in this part of China lasts from April to mid-October, with strong monsoons during the summer months. Often Shenzhen is hit by typhoons that come from the east.
The best time to visit Shenzhen is from October to December, when the weather is cool and dry. The average air temperature in winter is +15-17°С, in spring – +18-26°С, in summer – +28-30°С, in autumn – +27-21°С (average annual temperature fluctuates around +22.4-22.9°C).
Shenzhen Hotels
There are many hotels in Shenzhen to suit all tastes and budgets. The price for a double room in an inexpensive hotel is approximately 200 CNY. The most famous cheap hotels are: Binjiang Hotel (Binjiang Dajiudian) on Hongling Lu Street; Yat Wah Hotel (Rihua Binguan) at the northwest corner of Shennan Lu and Heping Lu; Jing Peng Hotel (Jingpeng Binguan); Shenzhen Hotel (Shenzhen Jiudian) on Shennan Donglu Road.
Mid-range hotels will cost you 200-300 CNY per night, among them: Airlines Hotel (Hangkong Binguan) on Shennan Dong Street (Shennan Donglu); Bamboo Garden Hotel (Zhuyuan Binguan) on Dongmen Beilu near the Aiguo Lu intersection; Guangdong Hotel (Yuehai Jiudian) is a gleaming concrete and glass building on Shennan Dong Street.
There are, of course, expensive hotels in Shenzhen, the cost of a night in which starts from 300 CNY. Nam Fong International Hotel (Nanfang Guoji Dajiudian) – East end of Shennan Dong Road; Century Plaza Hotel (Xindu Jiudian) on Cunfeng Lu, between Jianshe Lu and Renmin Lu; Shangri-La Hotel (Xiangge Lila Dajiudian), in front of the railway station.
A separate link in the classification of hotels is entire resort complexes, where high-class hotels are accompanied by amusement parks, shopping centers, various sports activities, expensive restaurants and delightful parks. The most popular resorts in Shenzhen are: Honey Lake Resort (Xiangmi Hu Dujia Cun) to the west of the city; Shenzhen Bay Hotel (Shenzhen Wan Dajiudian) in the city itself, where the upper class lives – foreign investors, north of “Magnificent China”; Shiyan Lake Hot Springs Resort (Shiyan Hu Wenquan Dujia Cun) 5 km northwest of Shenzhen, outside the Zone; Xili Lake Resort (Xili Hu).
Shopping
Many tourists quite rightly believe that one of the best attractions of Shenzhen is its shops: this city is a great place for shopping. The city can be figuratively divided into four commercial districts. Textiles are best bought in the area around the railway station; electronics – between Shanghai Hotel and SEG Electronics Co. Well-known brands can be purchased at the chic shopping malls Xiwu Department Store and International Commercial Market.
The Dongjie Pedestrian Mall is very popular with its dainty wooden stands, while the Old City Center is dotted with shops nestled tightly together. Seafood Street is located in Longgang District and is famous for its trade in dried seafood.
Entertainment and attractions of Shenzhen
Shenzhen is famous for its theme parks, the most interesting of which is called the Window of the World, which contains about 150 world attractions, only in a small copy. Here in one place you can see the Eiffel Tower and St. Mark’s Square, the Roman Colosseum and the Egyptian pyramids. At nightfall, guests of the park will enjoy a magnificent light show. There is a similar park in the city, dedicated only to Chinese sights – “Magnificent China”. Here you will find the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Warriors.
A very interesting eco-park – OCT (Overseas Chinese Town) East – is located in the east of the city, in the Dameisha district. Here you can admire the incredible beauty of orchids and car-sized pumpkins, colorful butterflies and trained parrots. A whole pavilion is devoted to tea: you will not only visit tea plantations, but also learn everything related to the production, preparation of tea and tea ceremonies. In addition, there is an amusement park and a golf course on site.
In Shenzhen, as in many Chinese cities, there is an “Artist Village”: it is called Dafeng, and walking along its streets overlooking copies of paintings by great artists painted by talented residents is very impressive. Also here you can buy these paintings at very reasonable prices.
Of course, fresh and green Shenzhen has a huge number of parks. You can visit the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, where the Hong Fa Temple stands, or relax in Lotus Hill Park (Lianhua Shan Yuan), where you can often admire how hundreds of children fly kites into the sky.
