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As an avid traveller, I always like to find places I have never been (to)
before. This includes the border town of Shenzhen.
Hong Kong's cousin to the north, Shenzhen has become quite the metropolis to
date. With spiralling towers to sprawling traffic, it's still hard to realise
that it borders another big city, instead of being one on its own. Actually,
Hong Kong and Shenzhen are quite dependent on each other; Shenzhen for its
affordable workforce and Hong Kong for its investment. It's remarkable that these
two cities can work in this co-dependent interdependent manner.
Entering Shenzhen is relatively simple. There are a couple border crossings which
also happen to have railway stations. It's simple enough not to miss the clearly
marked signs that can lead you to these border crossings.
As I left Hong Kong, I found out quite surprisingly that the crossing itself
is simple. However, the immigration procedures on both sides can be quite
timely, so be sure you know what you're doing if you're doing the crossing.
Shenzhen most likely requires a visa, like I had to apply for. Just go upstairs
to the visa office from the actual border bridge and apply for one. There are
two kinds of visas, and you will most likely recieve a special "Shenzhen Special
Economic Zone" visa, where you will not be allowed to venture anywhere else. There
IS, however, a small office which does process visas applicable to the whole of China.
Their hours are short, however, so be sure to be there as early as you can.
Shenzhen SEZ visas cost a pretty penny, save for a few countries which require much
more than a pretty penny.
Once you're in Shenzhen, hold your belongings to your heart, as in a lot of countries,
pickpocketing is common.
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