In part of our travels, we spent one day and evening in Shenzhen. Since I had such a brief experience with the city, I can only comment on it in a limited capacity. But if you happen to be passing through or if you decide to take a ferry over to mainland China while visiting Hong Kong, (Although please be aware that you may need to have obtained a visa prior to visiting and you need Chinese Yuan currency), these is my thoughts….
I expected Shenzhen to be an old, ancient city but it is not! It is a very modern, clean and new, and in fact, there is a lot of construction currently. It seems instead to be a vibrant and entrepreneurial city. It is also the fourth largest city in China.
Driving from the ferry station into the city, there was a beautiful area along the coastline that looked like a nice beach area and a great walking/bike path that ran for miles, with plenty of bikes along the way for rent. I believe that this area is known as Sea World and it definitely looked worth a visit.
I spent most of my time exploring two areas - the OCT Loft and the old town near Gang Xia Dong 1 Road
OCT Loft – a trendy, new area of the city – there are art galleries, coffee and tea shops, boutiques, restaurants and plenty of street art in the area. It is tropical and quant and perfect for a leisurely stroll and hanging out with a coffee or tea. There were many interesting tea shops here that offered quite a variety of tea drinks that I had never seen before. Teas with fruit, teas with ice cream and tea with cheese. It is a great place to try something new and get in some serious people watching.
Old Town - Among the skyscrapers, is an old town of crazy alleyways filled with people, markets, food vendors, shops and homes. There are people, bikes and scooters everywhere vying for space. There are food vendors dishing up food to construction workers and businessmen. It is crazy and alive and very interesting! Don’t miss it – this is where the locals really live!
There is also a nightly light show near the 600-meter Ping building. Additionally, there is Dongmen, which is a pedestrian shopping street and lots of other parks, museums and amusement parks for those looking to spend some extended time in the area.
Overall – If you take the Turbo jet to Shenzhen on She Kou Ferries they only take cash as payment so be prepared. The ferry departs from the same area as the Star Ferry, on the Hong Kong Island side. Shenzhen is a new city and still growing, and it appears that Shenzhen offers something epic for everyone.
