Sundry Shenzhen

In the weeks before Dan was able to take leave, I found myself exploring the local communities and hills around our home. For example, I found an old cobbled road that winds through the police and prison complex opposite our building, and into the hills. I have yet to explore the full extent of it. However, I did find a way to climb the mountain behind the prison and see some great views of Shenzhen - actually, hazy views would be more accurate. I was, however, able to espy a smoke stack that looked rather like that of a nuclear power plant - actually there are two supplying power to Shenzhen. One had to sneak past the Police conducting assault training on the flat to climb the mountain; nor did one feel entirely safe among the people who squatted on the hill in makeshift dwellings.

A contrast to this was the very fine high-rise housing estate for public servants in front of the local reservoir in Mei-Lin. It comes complete with a hospital, library, technical college, various recreational facilities and gated vehicle access. It is adjacent to the excellent Carrefour (a US chain) shopping centre. Many people in Shenzhen live in so-called “dormitories” which means housing supplied by their workplace. A number of floors in Dan’s block of units are head-leased by her company, and sub-let to their employees, presumably at a subsidised rate. Purchasing a unit here is prohibitively expensive.

Aside from this, you will find a few sundry street scenes, evidence of a haircut in the hands of Max the hairdresser and a visit to the opening fire-work display of the Shenzhen Hi-Tech Fair. The fair is the pride of Shenzhen, and it certainly attracts many exhibitors and visitors. The depth and range of production and services available locally, and the quality of innovation on display, certainly dispels doubt that this economy is purely derivative in nature. A few of the more memorable exhibits included the first decoding of the DNA of an Asian person, a robot cook which served Kung Pau and can supposedly reliably make hundreds of Chinese dishes, various 3D/holographic displays, and the Chinese space and aeronautics programs. There is also a photo of the remarkable Shenzhen Children's Palace.

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