In pricey Hong Kong, residents flock to China for cheaper dining, shopping
Al Jazeera
Shenzhen is attracting Hong Kongers in droves with its superior entertainment options at a fraction of the cost.
Hong Kong, China – Hong Kong resident Mimi Lau regularly heads to Shenzhen to grab a meal with friends or go shopping in one of the Chinese megacity’s many upscale malls.
For Lau, who lives in Hong Kong’s New Territories near the border with mainland China, Shenzhen is not only a shorter bus ride than most of the popular shopping and dining areas in her home city, but much cheaper, too.
“It’s so easy, especially from Shenzhen Bay Port. You just walk across [the border]. They check your Hong Kong ID and your mainland ID, and you have a massive network of transportation right at the border: taxis, and buses. You can call your own Didi,” Lau told Al Jazeera, referring to China’s popular answer to Uber.
“It’s just so convenient, and you don’t have to bring any cash with you. Everything is electronic payment.”
Lau is not alone in her enthusiasm for Shenzhen, a sprawling metropolis of more than 17 million people whose transformation from a sleepy fishing village took off in tandem with China’s economic reforms of the 1980s.
