Obviously there are people on here from Shenzhen but has any one been to China for a holiday and gone there. I wouldn't mind going to China one day (sooner rather than later) and wonder how hard it is to get there and would it be worthwhile. I could always hire Candy as an interpreter/ tour guide I suppose.
I just realised its near the Hong Kong border for some reason I thought it was in the middle of China
Am from singapore (asia), been there serveral times.
Place is still ok, shopping wise got lots of branded boutique like LV, Gucci,Hermes,Versace,Helmet Lang, Rolex etc etc. AND also lots of FAKES....
(Depending which district you go).
Accomodation is still resonable cheap i feel..usd$ 30-50 can get u a decent 4-5star hotel room per night.
I stay in USD $15-30 per night budget hotel, those chain hotels. (i made detour to there after job attachment in Beijing)
Relax: They have spa thats in inside a building, different lvl/section catered for diff ppl..i mean whole building is spa.
Flashlight: If u know your way around, there are some wholesale places that have flashlights dirt cheap.(Camping eq also a lot)
Sound Eq: Also lots of sound eq (disco/pa/SR) if u are interested in them.
Senery : Not much..buildings & buildings....
Impression: A place to burn money if one is a a lover for branded (be it real or fake). LOL
(One can go there by only carring a plastic bag, then 3 hours later, the said person can have suitcases/lugguges of clothes, bargain stuffs in dozens should drop price sinificantely )
Same like Thailand, buy stuffs by dozens.
Verdict: I do not know how do you guage whether is it worthwhile. For me, i will not go again cos nothing really interest me there.
Instead i go to GuangZhou, they have many tradefair throughout the year, things are also cheaper.
My son has been several times. I am always amazed by some of the junk (fake) he brings home. Many things don't work right out of the box or last only a short time, but he was seeking out the cheapest...
Been over there several times on business, and like cop said, it is a very interesting place.
Lots of fake stuff. Lots of scams. 500 TB jump drives for 3 USD that are really only 512 MB if they work.
You have to negotiate a price for everything, which gets old after a while. They literally won't cave until you walk out of the store, and then they will chase you down in the street to tell you they have finally agreed to your price. It happens so frequently, I don't think they know another way of doing business.
The cultural differences lead to some priceless moments.
I stood at a market and bought a stack of 60's Communist propaganda posters from an old woman that showed how to shoot down American aircraft and what to do when the Americans inevitably invaded. The woman cackled with laughter the whole time.
I told our business partner that I had noticed that the police did not carry guns, at which point she looked at me like I had grown three heads and said, "The Military would NEVER let the police carry guns" like I was an idiot. Which maybe I was.
The people are very friendly and helpful. Makes for a good trip.
Food is hit and miss. Some delicious meals, and some I'd much rather forget.
Sharpthangs, you make me want to go and visit for a few days, for all the reasons you mentioned, including food. :)
It is not easy to achieve that the summary you made about business in Shenzhen. and i agree with you that the people are very friendly and helpful. but sharp-sighted in doing business.
Shenzhen's an interesting stop for a day or two. If you're travelling on short notice, you can fly into HK, take the MTR (our local subway/tube/el-train) to the border and get a visa on arrival that's only good for the shenzhen special economic zone.
If you're flying direct, however, you'll have to go to the local embassy/consulate and get a normal visa beforehand.
@edc
Shenzhen is true located in south of China, and is just an hour away from HongKong. Shenzhen to China is just like NewYork to US when referring to economy.
As an aside, Warm welcome to China.
We were flying out of Shantou (which is still in Guangdong province but about 200 miles up the coast).
I had two knives in my checked baggage that had made it through security in two stops in the US and about four stops within China.
Both had 3 inch blades. Both locked. One was a Walmart Buck and the other was a Wenger Swiss Army knife. Both were cheap enough I didn't mind losing them.
The lady working security insisted that the Buck model was illegal in China.
I rolled the blade over to reveal the deep letters C-H-I-N-A stamped in the back.
She instantly became very frustrated and called the military security guy over to take the knife. Which he did.
I bought the exact same model at a street vendor in Shanghai the next day.
I'm glad she didn't want the Wenger.
Good stories, Sharpthangs - thanks for sharing. Don't believe we've met, so a big welcome to BLF!
It's always nice to hear someone else's perspective on this wonderful world we live in.
I've been in Shenzhen multiple times. Let me share some experiences to you.
1) Beware of pickpockets especially your travelling documents.
2) When you buy something and using RMB or USD ensure you have marked down the dollar # in front of the shopper, otherwise they will return the fake money to you.
3) Make sure all the change money are real!
4) Lots of counterfeit items but be careful when you return to your home town through custom.
Good luck & have a nice trip!
Thanks all. The fake money is a bit of a worry.
Make a big bargain during shopping!
Why? Just do it like you do it with the strippers: pay in 1$ bills. :P
Ive been to seoul, manilla, bangkok and tokyo. I want to visit Jakarta, singapore, ho chi min city, taiwan, hong kong and of course shenzhen!
Howdy back at you, BetweenRides.
Like a lot of folks, I suspect, I've been a long time lurker who has admired the opinions and expertise on here.
Thanks for the welcome.
You can just come to visit for some information.i had a dream of visiting the world when i was a little girl.But the reality stops my steps.
If you have chance,never hesitate to do that.