Dubbed as “China’s Silicon Valley,” the city of Shenzhen cannot be dismissed as Hong Kong’s backyard anymore. After all—thanks largely to China’s global influence and economic might—it is an up-and-coming megalopolis, mirroring the progress of its sister down south, and this progress is expedited by the presence of some of the world’s biggest tech companies like ZTE, Huawei, and Tencent.
But for leisure travelers, what’s there to know about Shenzhen? A few months back, I traveled to the city and explored what it has to offer.
A BUSTLING MODERN CITY
Although Hong Kong is, by and large, more cosmopolitan than Shenzhen, the latter is undoubtedly modern—at least on the surface. For one, its integrated transportation system is world-class—it has long metro lines that extend from the airport to its far corners, a high-speed rail and ferry ports that connects it to neighboring cities like Guangzhou and Macau, a dense bus system making taxis unnecessary, and a modern airport with stunning architecture.
And within the downtown, skyscrapers are abound, hosting Fortune 500 companies, luxury condos, and global hotel brands like the Ritz-Carlton, Hilton, and the Four Seasons. For the most part, it carries the feel of other big Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing, although clearly smaller in scale.
A CHEAPER CITY TO VISIT
Personally, I find Hong Kong becoming more and more expensive to visit, and this primarily is the reason why I visited Shenzhen in the first place. Based on my previous experiences, mainland Chinese cities, even Shanghai and Beijing, are cheaper to visit in general than Hong Kong or Macau.
As I was planning my trip I found that hotel rates were a fraction—sometimes cheaper by half or by a third—than in Hong Kong or Macau. This means one could get a five-star international hotel in Shenzhen for the price of a small three- or four-star hotel room in Hong Kong.
Transportation is also crazy affordable—a metro or bus ride costs as little as 2 RMB (~16 PHP), while eating out at Shenzhen restaurants cost as little as eating out in Manila. (Be sure to try the abundant and affordable seafood.)
A SHOPPING MECCA
Because of the cheaper costs, I frankly find shopping in Shenzhen more enjoyable than Hong Kong, and I’m talking about buying name-brand clothing like H&M, Gap, Uniqlo, and the like.
Whether it’s indeed cheaper to go shopping in Shenzhen than Hong Kong is debatable; however, what cannot be denied is that Shenzhen is a shopping mecca is its own right. What it lacks in other attractions like a Disneyland or a strip of casinos, it makes up for its plethora of malls and more traditional markets.
I mean, ever wondered why most of the electronics and other China-made goods we buy off online are shipped from Shenzhen? It’s because the city is host to the largest electronics market in the world, Huanqiangbei.
A PART OF MAINLAND CHINA STILL
Despite how seemingly it’s being groomed as the next big world city, Shenzhen is still part of mainland China. As such, the country’s traditional customs and traditions, as well as social and political outlook, are still etched on the city’s identity that, at times, visitors may find themselves culture shocked, especially those who’ve seen only Hong Kong or no part of China at all.
In more practical terms, although much of the city displays English translations, there still exists a language barrier to a much broader extent than Hong Kong or Macau—after all, there aren’t as many expats or foreign migrants working in Shenzhen.
The infamous Great Firewall of China is also in effect, meaning, despite the presence of global tech companies, the most popular Western sites and apps like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Whatsapp are generally unusable on local internet and mobile networks—unless, of course, one uses a virtual private network (VPN).
And lastly, being part of mainland China, Filipinos need a full Chinese visa to enter Shenzhen, as we are not allowed to avail of the special Shenzhen Economic Zone visa. (You can read about my unfortunate experience here.)
CEBU PACIFIC TO SOON FLY FROM MANILA TO SHENZHEN
On July 1, 2019, Cebu Pacific will be commencing nonstop flights from Manila to Shenzhen, which will be the first direct link between the two cities. These are seen to benefit not only business travelers but leisure ones as well who before had to transit via Hong Kong and continue on the journey by car, bus, train, or ferry and redo immigration clearances.
The flights are block timed at 2hr30mins, and in the interim, they will be operated right before midnight on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The red-eye timing is advantageous for travelers who wish to take advantage of full business days.
Introductory fares are incredibly affordable, with promotional seats going for as low as 1 PHP base fare.
BOOKING A TRIP ACROSS THE PEARL RIVER DELTA
With Cebu Pacific now offering flights to four cities in the Pearl River Delta, namely Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangzhou, it’s much more convenient to explore the region. And it’s even easier with opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, as well as the Guangzhou-Hong Kong high-speed train.
It maybe valuable to know that airport taxes are much cheaper in China than in Hong Kong, which currently levies a fee on all plane tickets to build its new airport runway. So for those who are planning to do a trip in two, three, or four cities in the Pearl River Delta, it might be better to enter via Hong Kong then fly out from Shenzhen to save on ticket costs, for example. Cebu Pacific allows multi-city bookings in its website and app.
