<A> CHINA ON THE WORLD MAP: VISITING THE CHARISMATIC SHENZEN 

<A> CHINA ON THE WORLD MAP: VISITING THE CHARISMATIC SHENZEN

by BRIJ KAPOOR

If you travel to Hong Kong or Macau, you just cannot miss going to Shenzhen. It is located on the Chinese Mainland in the southern part of the Guangdong Province, on the Pearl River Delta. It has a land border with Hong Kong and is just an hour away from Macau by ferry.

We had been visiting Macau in a group of 27 assorted adults and children for a few days and decided to take this opportunity of visiting the mainland China by going across to Shenzhen by ferry. The day we had to leave Shenzen, two honeymooners of our group overslept in the morning and missed the bus that was taking us to the ferry terminal. Luckily for them, while still enroute to the ferry terminal, some of us realized their absence. A few quick calls on the heavenly blessing of a mobile phone, and we were able to retrace our path and pick them up. There were plenty of knowing smiles and blushes around the group. The ferry terminal was clean and professionally managed. The immigration formalities were few and soon we were on board. The ferry was excellent, fast, and comfortable with allocated seats for all passengers.

You do need a Chinese visa to visit Shenzhen. But this is no problem as it is easily available at Hong Kong. For all of us, a group visa had been arranged by our guide and as such we went through immigratin pretty fast. The Immigration officers at the Shenzen terminal were most courteous and friendly, unlike their counterparts elsewhere in many parts of the world. We found the terminal at Shenzen to be organized much like a good airport. We were also able to change the currency quickly.

Before the Eighties, Shenzhen was just a small village. It was set up as the first SEZ (special economic zone) in China in 1980. From then on, it became an important city of China, known for rapid economic growth. The city is divided into six zones, four of which are located in the SEZ. Today it is a modern metropolis with excellent roads, expressways and flyovers, as also malls and shopping centres. Its features are indeed awesome; 106 international container shipment routes and 11 international air routes, you can get to Shenzhen by air, train or ship or by land A special landmark of Shenzen is the main railway station. It is a beautiful sight with its modern building, pleasing architectural lines, and excellent passenger facilities.

It seems that with large avenues being available for employment, many people have naturally flocked to Shenzhen. Many improvements have been made to tackle problems of overpopulation and degradation of environment. As a recognition of this work, Shenzhen was given the Garden City Award in 2000 by UN. Due to its large migrant population from every part of China, one can sample many local traditions and cuisines in the city.

Shenzhen is a shoppers’ paradise with branded stores of companies from all over the world. Perhaps more popular are the imitation goods of all kinds at throw-away prices. Bargaining being a national pastime in China, one enjoys this experience of haggling for a lower price. We found it rather amusing that one could offer a fraction of the asked price and yet come away with a good buy after some intense bargaining. A good place for such shopping is the Foot Market where stalls of all items are in plenty. Garments, shoes, handbags, and suitcases are very good buys. Another good marketplace is the Luoho Market next to the Shenzhen Railway Station where the specialty is leather goods, toys, branded watches, and shoes.

Being a city that has a history of only 25 years, Shenzhen does not have many historical attractions. But this has been well compensated by the many tourist attractions that have been created here. There are a number of excellent theme parks which entertain as also give a chance to learn about China and the World. Some of these are Happy Valley, Splendid China and China Folk Culture Villages which introduce visitors to China's long history and varied cultures.

We visited perhaps the real highlight of Shenzhen, the Theme Park ‘Window of the World’. Here you can see all the world’s attractions in a day. It is a huge park laid out on an innovative concept of showcasing some of the best architectural treasures of the world. It is divided into eight areas covering Asia, Africa, Americas, Europe, Oceania, World square, Sculpture Park and International Street. Many of the wonders of the world; Eiffel Tower of France, Niagara Falls of USA/Canada, Taj Mahal of India, Pyramids of Egypt, Angkor Wat of Cambodia and so on have been built on a miniature but a realistic scale. These are not too small either; you can actually climb the Eiffel Tower in a lift.

You can spend an entire day at this park and yet not be able to cover all the features. The landscaping of the area and the upkeep are superb. It is indeed a lovely scene at night when the whole area is lit up very creatively. There are also many ongoing shows throughout the day. We attended one such attraction, the one hour Grand Evening Show depicting the dances of the world. An all-Chinese cast of dancers superbly showcased the dances like Bharat Natyam from India, Belly dance from Middle East, the Revue from USA, the dances of the Orient and so on.

Once in Shenzhen, you can easily make a trip to Hong Kong and enjoy the sights and attractions of the famous international metropolis as Hong Kong is just a short ride away by train or road. If you do not have a visa for Hong Kong, not to worry as you get it on arrival. As we were traveling form Shenzen by road in a bus, we had to pass through two immigration tolls, one outside Shenzhen, and the second while entering Hong Kong. At both these places we had to go through the Immigration areas, lugging our baggage along, while our bus went through separately and waited for us on the other side. This was a bit exhausting and tiresome inspite of the strolleys. But who minds it after the lovely stay in Shenzhen and with prospects of a visit to Disneyland in Hong Kong.

Good Bye, Shenzhen.