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Published: September 5th 2007
Kowloon-Canton Railway
These trains traffic the New Territories between Kowloon and the Shenzhen borderThere wasn't much point in finally coming to rest at five in the morning, only to have to get up one and a half hours later. As I lay there like a trainwreck looking at the dreary and rainy morning outside, it would have been an easy thing to call off the border excursion to
Shenzhen, were it not for the fact that I had already made plans with three of my friends. And what a plan it was! As my dear friend Joanne had got wind of the fact that I was headed to Hong Kong (and was suitably pissed off that I didn't come to Beijing instead...) I had invited her to come down to Hong Kong to meet me. Unfortunately she didn't hold the necessary travel permit and obtaining one on such shorthand notice can be an obstacle, as according to law it must be applied for in the home province. Fortunately there is the useful compromise of Shenzhen.
For those that do not know Shenzhen lies next to Hong Kong just at the border. Border? Yes, because although Hong Kong may now be a part of China, the one-country-two-systems doctrine still means there is a separate
government with its own authorities and jurisdiction. Thus, Hong Kong is known as a
Special Administrative Region (SAR). The SAR for example has very liberal visa regulations compared to mainland China, but access for mainlanders is restricted by special permit only, to prevent a flood of fortune seekers from swarming the city from the less well-off provinces. Shenzhen is unusual too, in that it is considered a
Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a grant given to it in 1979 in an experiment with state controlled capitalism. As a result it enjoys special economic benefits designed to attract investments, and it has paid off greatly. From having been but a small fishing village it has continued to grow into the millions, and is often regarded as one of the fastest growing cities in the history of the world.
Most foreigners need not apply for a visa beforehand if planning to enter Shenzhen (find out before going). Instead, you can show up at the border and obtain a permit at the checkpoint which grants you limited short-term access to the SEZ. If you plan to continue into the mainland though, a regular visa will be required.
Anyway, after dragging my corpse-like
excuse for a person out of bed and into the streets I crawled onboard the closest MTR and headed for Kowloon Tong on the other side of the bay. From here the Kowloon Canton Railway company (
KCR) provides the onward journey all the way north through the New Territories to the Lo Wu border checkpoint downtown Shenzhen. Trains leave frequently all day and the ride takes about half an hour. You can pay by using your stored value Octopus card or buy tickets at the station. I had arranged to meet up with ze Fraanch guy Michael (see the Beijing blogs), who now resides down here in Hong Kong, the lucky bastard!
We had agreed to go rather early in an effort to beat the crowds as well as make the most of the short daytrip. As we arrived at
Lo Wu checkpoint around 9.30 the train was only partially filled and the pens at the station could be negotitated without much hassle. After clearing Hong Kong immigration one has to take the stairs to find the local visa office, and already there was a line of snaking hopefuls waiting for their turn. You queue up to hand in
All roads lead to Shenzhen
Myself and Michael have met up with Joanne and Fiona. Also present in the photo is Joanne's friend Andy. None of us are resident here. (C) Michael your application form and passport, then have to wait around 15 minutes before the SEZ visa is (hopefully) ready and you can pay by cash to receive it. The price varies for different nationalities, for me it was 200 HKD. As I left the visa office the line behind me had now grown some six or seven times, it is easy to get stranded here for an hour or two so try to arrive before or after the crowds.
Unsurprisingly, the rain had followed us here, and we found ourselves walking the large tiled squares covered in a centimeter or so of water. After Hong Kong, Shenzhen will take some getting used to. Unlike the cramped city of needles that is Hong Kong, Shenzhen instead feels very large with its wide avenues and broad streets. The buildings while still suitably tall are spaced out and give a sturdy and fat appearance. Indeed Shenzhen resembles any city on the mainland. Michael flipped his backpack around and started wearing it over his chest, something you can see people doing here. The city has a well known pick pocket elite, as well as a healthy supply of beggars, hawkers and thieves, all
Reunion!
Five years ago since the three of us met last time. I wonder how many years we will have to count this time. :( seduced by the chance to live off of the wealth of this soulless economic haven.
You'll notice there is a charming difference in how the general population differs from their brethren across the border. Pardon my expression, but here begins the real China. All of a sudden you will be confused by the signs in the subway, shop clerks are half asleep at their desks waiting for customers and often general inquiries will be met with a
mei you (don't have). Until recently the Hong Kong dollar was heartily accepted here, but with the strengthening of the Renminbi at the expense of among others the HKD it is suddenly not that welcome anymore.
It had been three years since I last set my foot in Shenzhen, and I was shocked to see how the gaping hole outside the railway station was now replaced with a paved square and a fully operative metro rail system. Michael led me to the subway station and guided me through town towards our arranged meeting point. Once again I was reminded that this was mainland China by the police officers with their characteristic wide hats and the soft and melodic travel instructions conveyed
The Shenzhen experience
Gone are your English signs in mandarin through the platform loudspeekers. Joanne was waiting for us at a local coffee house together with Fiona, an old friend of ours who we had first met on my first trip to China back in 2002. Indeed this meeting would serve as our first reunion in five years. At that time the meeting had taken place in a Sichuanese restaurant in Guangzhou, the provincial capital further inland.
It was quite a weird feeling meeting again after so long time, yet somehow it didn't feel that long. It is something I have pondered on a lot. How can something that took place years ago seem so familiar once you revisit, only to appear so far away just a week later? When travelling, there are so many places I'd like to go, and so little time to do it. It is appalling that so much time must be lost in between these moments. But, as is always the case, if you start pulling in one direction, you will move further away from all the others. And trying to maintain a balance will accomplish just that, very little at all. Anyhow.... (moving on), we headed straight for lunch. I had
hoped to go for dim sum but we instead ended up at a Cantonese restaurant and ordered in a list of items. As expected, it was delicious.
After dinner Joanne summoned her brother (who lives in town) to come pick us up in his Volkswagen and then brought us to some glitzy coffee shop inside another big shopping mall. As comfortable as it may have been, the whole place was rather lacking in atmosphere. Give me a little noodle house with plastic chairs anytime. We came to talk about the restaurant Fiona took me to when I visited Guangzhou back in 2002. She told me that the snake eating was now starting to be a thing of the past, as a number of snake specialty restaurants have been closed down. It is the only time I have been to a place where you point out your prey before eating it.
Our little get together came to an end much too early in the late afternoon. Joanne had to go back to the airport to catch the plane back to Beijing, Fiona went to the railway station to catch the train back to Guangzhou and me and Michael started
The Shenzhen experience
As you can see, Shenzhen has plenty of space compared to the needle thin buildings of Hong Kong, standing close like straws of grass next to each other. heading back towards Lo Wu. On the way we made a visit to one of those busy department stores that sell cheap, shall we say
semi-official dvds and cds. Not really looking for anything in particular and having already focused my purchases on cds the days before I stopped at a quick glance and did some people watching instead. As my eyes fell on a bored clerk napping over her desk my thoughts again started wandering as I realized this trip was already nearing its end. I really cannot go on like this; these short trips are becoming increasingly depressing as they draw to a close.
After returning to Hong Kong via Kowloon Tong I bid farewell to Michael and took the MTR back towards North Point, but to take some of the depression out of it I got off at Causeway Bay and took one last stroll through town through the night.
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