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shenzhen city introduction |
| shenzhen homepage |
| ·area：2050 square kilometre
·longitude：114° 06' 东 ·latitude：22° 33' 北 ·altitude：40 m ·population：125 0000 ·postcode：518027 ·areacode：0755 |
Long in history, Shenzhen boasts many cultural relies and scenic spots. Those places of interest, such as ancient temples of Jin and Sui Dynasties, Haiguang and Lingdu Temple of Tang Dynasty, Huaidu Temple of Southern Tang Dynasty, Chiwan Goddess Temple of Song Dynasty, Xin'an Eight Sights of Ming and Qing Dynasties, Lingding Island, Longao and Qiniang Mountain, are really nice. After being established as the first special economic zone. Shenzhen has witnessed dramatic tourism development. Besides those time-honored cultural relics and scenic spots, the newly built tourist attractions and facilities are also fascinating. Splendid China and China Folk Culture Village are world-renowned theme parks. Safari Park features in the theme of "Back to Nature". Xiangmi Lake, completed recently, is a big amusement center on water. The golden beach in the east, garden scenery over the sea in the west, and cosmopolitan sights in the downtown area each has its own elegant glamour, and compete for beauty with each other. Shenzhen, a frontier town in the past, now has become a modern international tourist city with garden scenery on the coast of South China Sea. Geography Situated in the coastal area of Middle South of Guangdong Province, Shenzhen lies to the east of the mouth of Pearl River, 160km to Guangzhou, and 35km to Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is located between 22 degree 27 minutes to 22 degree 52 minutes north latitude, and 113 degree 46 minutes to 114 degree 37 minutes east longitude. It ranges 10.8km from north to south and 81.4km from east to west. Shenzhen faces Daya Bay to the east, reaches Pearl River mouth to the west, borders Hong Kong on the south, and neighbors Huizhou and Dongguan on the north. It covers a total area of 2,020 square kilometers. Covering one sixth of Shenzhen territory, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone is long and narrow stripe of land, which starts from Beizaijiao, Dapeng Bay in the east and ends at Anle Village in the west; new territory of Hong Kong is in the south and Wutong and Yangtai Mountains in the north. Totaling 327.5 square kilometers, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone is 49km long from east to west and 7km wide from north to south on average and is the second largest economic zone in China, nest to Hainan Province only. Climate Shenzhen belongs to subtropical climate. With long summer, short winter, and rich rainfalls, it is suitable for tours all year round. Rain season is mainly from May to September. The average precipitation is 1,948.6mm. The average temperature is 22.4 degrees centigrade with the highest point of 36.6 degrees centigrade and the lowest point of 1.4 degrees centigrade. The duration of sunshine is 2,120 hours in a year. Kept back by the hills, the typhoon in summer and autumn will come to Shenzhen no more than once a year. Natural Ecological Environment An area of 931 square kilometers can be used for city development, 46% of total area. The rest is preserved for agriculture, water resources, forestland, and grassland. There are over 90 kinds of wild animals with economic value under protection at state level. Shenzhen River runs 35km long. Shenzhen has a coastline of 230km and is abundant in mineral and aquatic resources. At the same time with the rapid economic development, Shenzhen tries to gain full improvement of all social sectors. Recently, it is a warded as the National Sanitation City, the National Garden City, the National Model City in Terms of Environment Protection, and Top Tourist City of China. A group of blocks of flats are appraised as the Model Blocks of National Property Management. The city owns modem cultural facilities, such as Book City, theaters and libraries. Orchestras and dancing troupes are also available here. Economy Founded in 1979, Shenzhen was established as one of the Special Economic Zones in China. Shenzhen covers a total area of 2,020 square kilometers, and has coastline of 230km. Shenzhen Special Economic Zone covers 327.5 square kilometers. The population reached 3.95 million in 1998, with 1.85 million in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. In the recent decade, Shenzhen has made remarkable progress in social and economic development, and transformed the border town in the past into a modern metropolis with the Shenzhen Spirit, which features exploitation, creation, union and dedication. From 1980 to 1998, GDP of Shenzhen increases 32.2% yearly on average, and reached 128.9 billion in 1998. Shenzhen is famous for the Shenzhen Spirit and Shenzhen Efficiency. The comprehensive economic strength of Shenzhen now takes the leading position among big and medium-sized cities in China. Shenzhen blueprints its strategy and gives priority to the development of hi-tech. Hi-tech industry has become the No.1 economic growth point and the industry with Shenzhen characteristics. By now, Shenzhen has become one of the main bases of high and new technologies of China. In 1998, the output of hi-tech products amounted to 65.518 billion, making up 35.44% of total industrial output. Shenzhen ranks first in exporting over 10 hi-tech products in China, which include computer, LCD micro electronic machine and compute printer, etc. Approved by the State Council, China Hi-tech Fair (CHTF) is held in autumn each year in Shenzhen, with the joint efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Information Industry, Chinese Science Academy and Shenzhen People's Government. The first CHTF was held from October 5 to 10,1999. CHTF is currently the only national hi-tech fair in China. The Mascot Byte has been selected. Culture Shenzhen is also flourishing in its culture. It now has 5 art troupes, 5 public libraries and 1 museum. The total volume of Shenzhen public libraries reaches 1.678 million. Radio and television coverage rates are 95% and 99% respectively. In a year, it issues 2 movies, 1 television series, 542.68-million-page publications, 14.41 million periodicals, and 7.01 million books. A Survey of Tourist Industry After 19 years' efforts, the tourist industry in Shenzhen has make dramatic progress. Generating large amount of international tourist receipts, Shenzhen now is one of the most important tourist cities of China. 1. Framework of tourist industry has been well established. Total fixed assets of tourist industry in Shenzhen has surpassed ￥20 billion. Tourist services of food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment are complete and improved. There are 300 hotels at all levels aiming at various needs, among which 93 are star-rated. Shenzhen has 28 international travel agencies, 18 domestic ones, and also over 50 tour offices spread over the region, which make the places of interest accessible to tourists. Tourist attractions have formed a complex with local, natural and cultural characteristics. At present, Shenzhen boasts Splendid China, Window of the World, China Folk Culture Village, Future Time, Joy Valley, Green World, Safari Park, Silver Lake Resort, Xiangmi Lake Resort, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, Siumuisha Holiday Resort, and Guanlan Golf Club. All these attractions are visited by tens of thousands of visitors from home and abroad every year. In 1998, the number of visitors received in Shenzhen reached 15.93 million person times. 2. Tourist industry in Shenzhen is full of vitality and its economic index takes the leading position in China. The position of tourism has been continuously upgrading. In 1998, ranking fourth in China, international tourist receipts of tourist industry in Shenzhen amounted to US＄987 million, making up one third of the provincial and 8% of the national foreign tourist receipts. The international tourist arrivals to Shenzhen reached 2.3425 million, ranking third in China. Tourist industry has become the second leading economic growth point in Shenzhen, showing its influences over local economy and taking up the leading position intertiary industry. The added value of tourism income exceeds 15% of Shenzhen GDP for four consecutive years. 3. Tourist enterprises and service standard in Shenzhen tourism are relatively high. Over 100,000 people are engaged in tourist industry. Tourist enterprises pay attention to improve their facilities and service standards. Many tourist enterprises are awarded with various titles of honor every year, such as Excellent Enterprises of China tourist Industry, May 1-Labor Award, China Models of Young Pioneers, China Top 50 Star-rated Hotels, China 100 Excellent Star-rated Hotels, China Leading Hotels with Foreign Investment, China Top 100 International Travel Agencies and China Top 100 Domestic Travel Agencies. City Flower of Shenzhen, Le Azalea Le Azalea, also known as Baojin, is mostly in red and purple. The flower has three petals and looks exquisite. Le Azalea has strong vitality and can be found everywhere. It is easy to grow and has a long florescence. When in blossom, it looks gorgeous and bubbling with enthusiasm, which can suitable reflect the beauty and vitality of the city and is selected to be the city flower of Shenzhen. City Tree of Shenzhen, Litchi Tree Litchi trees are the most popular trees in Shenzhen. When litchi is ripening, the air is full of the luring smell. Shenzhen is one of the main places of the production of litchi, and litchi tree then is chosen as the city tree of Shenzhen. Symbol of Shenzhen Diwang Mansion 389.95 meters high, Diwang Mansion is the tallest building in Shenzhen at present. It looks magnificent, towering into the clouds. It ranked the fourth in the world, the first in Asia on the Billboard of Super-skyscrapers of the World. It was started to be built in April 1993 and completed in May 1996. It took only three years from design to construction, and it set a construction record of 2.75 days per floor. Being the symbol of the city in 1990s, Diwang Mansion is famous for its first-class speed, design, and management. Tourist Logo of Shenzhen-China Folk Culture Village China Folk Culture Village is the tourism logo of Shenzhen. It is the first large-scale folk cultural scenic spot ever built in China, assembling China's folk and ethnic arts, customs, and residential buildings of ethnic groups together. The guidelines of construction is "from life, higher than life, discarding the dross and selecting the essence" It includes 24 villages of 21 ethnic minorities of China, and all these villages are sep up at life-size. Wonderful folk dances are available here. China Folk culture village reflects folk culture of a multi nationality China in different respects. Local Culture Shenzhen Grand Theater Art Festival Shenzhen Grand Theater is one of the eight famous cultural facilities with almost a hundred million Renminbi Yuan invested by Shenzhen City Government in 1984. It is a multifunctional, modern, and comprehensive cultural site combining art appreciation, song and dance shows, cultural tour and leisure. In 1992, Shenzhen Grand Theater held Shenzhen Grand Theater Art Festival all by itself. The grand festival not only improved the international art exchanges, but also widened the vision of the citizens. The most successful festivals are the Third Art Festival with Concert of the Ninth Symphony of Beet haven and the Sixth Festival with the theme of celebrating Hong Kong's return to China. The theater is a historic mark to help to promote Shenzhen City to a modern international metropolis. Longgang "Town of Dragon Dance" Art Festival Longgang is famous for dragon and is known as Dragon Town at home and abroad. The Hakkas here take dragon as the mascot and form a custom to play dragon dance, lion dance and Qilin dance on occasions of holidays and festivals. With a 300-year history and strong local characteristic, dragon dance is one of the main folk customs, thus, Dragon Culture comes into being. There are a lot of gardens, squares, and sculptures with the theme of dragon. With the total investment of RMB 100 million, a dragon theme park is built in Longgang, which is the only one of its kind in China. Dragon dance troupes often play in foreign countries and regions, such as United States, Canada, and Hong Kong. Dragon dance has won reward of dragon dance contest. There are 55 troupes of dragon, lion, and Qilin dances. About 960 people often take part in the dances for about 130 days in a year. There are about 100 times of dragon dance shows each year. Name Venue Frequency Organizing Units Shenzhen Grand Theater Art Festival Shenzhen Grand Theater Once a year Shenzhen Grand Theater Pengcheng Golden Autumn Art Festival Urban area Twice a year Shenzhen Cultural Bureau Longgang “Town of Dragon Dance” Art Festival Longgang Town 100 times a year Cultural Bureau of Longgang Town Shenzhen (Sham Chun or Shamchun in old documents) is a sub-provincial city of Guangdong province in southern China, located at the border with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Shenzhen is a center of foreign investment and since the late 1970s has been one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is also the busiest port in China. In the past two decades, more than $30-billion has been invested by outsiders in Shenzhen building factories and forming joint ventures. Shenzhen Chinese: 深圳 Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin: Shēnzhèn Cantonese Jyutping: sam1 zan3 Yale: sām jan Hakka romanization: cim1 zun4 Literal meaning: deep drains History Construction work in ShenzhenThe one-time fishing village of Shenzhen, singled out by late Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, is the first of the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) of China. It was originally established in 1979 due to its proximity to Hong Kong, then a prosperous British colony. The SEZ was created to be an experimental ground of capitalism in socialism with Chinese characteristics China. The location was chosen to attract industrial investments from Hong Kong since the two places share the same language, dialect and culture. The concept proved to be a great success, propelling the further opening up of China and continuous economic reform. Shenzhen eventually became one of the largest cities in the Pearl River Delta region which is one of the economic powerhouses of China and is the largest manufacturing base in the world. Shenzhen, formerly known as Bao'an County (宝安县), was promoted to prefecture level, directly governed by Guangdong province, in November 1979. In May 1980, Shenzhen was formally nominated as a 'special economic zone', the first one of its kind in China. It was given the right of provincial-level economic administration in November 1988. Shenzhen is the earliest of the five special economic zones in China. The Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping is usually credited with the opening up of economic revival in China, often epitomized with the city of Shenzhen, which profited the most from the first legacies of Deng. Administration Shenzhen Municipality (in yellow)Shenzhen Municipality comprises six districts: Luohu (罗湖), Futian (福田), Nanshan (南山), Yantian (盐田), Bao'an (宝安), and Longgang (龙岗). The Special Economic Zone comprises Luohu, Futian, Nanshan, and Yantian but not Bao'an and Longgang. Located in the centre of the SEZ and adjacent to Hong Kong, Luohu is the financial and trading centre. It covers an area of 78.89 km². Futian, where the Municipal Government is situated, is at the heart of the SEZ and covers an area of 78.04 km². Covering an area of 164.29 km², Nanshan is the centre for high-tech industries and it is situated in the west of the SEZ. Outside the SEZ, Bao'an (712.92 km²) and Longgang (844.07 km²) are located to the north-west and north-east of Shenzhen respectively. Yantian (75.68 km²) is known for logistics. Yantian Port is the second largest deepwater container terminal in China and fourth largest in the world. Geography The boomtown of Shenzhen is located in the Pearl River Delta. The municipality covers an area of 2,020 km2 (780 sq. miles) including urban and rural areas, with a population of thirteen million. Shenzhen is a sub-tropical maritime region, with frequent tropical cyclones in summer and early autumn, with an average temperature of 22.4 oC year-round (72 oF) although daytime temperatures can exceed 35 oC. It is located 160 km south of the provincial capital Guangzhou, 70 km south of the industrial city of Dongguan. To the northwest, resort city Zhuhai is a 200 km away. It is located on the border with the Hong Kong SAR across the Sham Chun River and Sha Tau Kok River. Demographics Shenzhen has seen its population and activity develop rapidly since the establishment of the SEZ. With its official population listed at around nine million, but estimated at a total population of seventeen million in metropolitan and its peripheral areas in 2005, Shenzhen has been the fastest growing city in China for the past thirty years, and likely to be the most rapidly evolving city in the world. But one problem with such a rampant growth of population is the accompanied problem of people without hukou (with 70% of that number being residents without a permanent hukou), most "old" Shenzhenese felt that the practice of freeing the city to inland is making it less competitive with other Chinese cities. Among the reasons for this development is the cost of labour, which is substantially lower than in neighbouring Hong Kong. There had been migrantion into southern Guangdong and what is now Shenzhen since the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.) but the numbers increased dramatically since Shenzhen was established in the 1980s. In Guangdong, it is the only city where Mandarin is mostly spoken, with migrants from all over China. At present, the average age in Shenzhen is less than 30. Among the total, 8.49 percent are between the age of 0 and 14, 88.41 percent between the age of 15 and 59, one-fifth between 20 and 24 and 1.22 percent are aged 65 or above. The population structure polarizes into two opposing extremes: densely populated intellectuals with a high level of education, and migrant workers with poor education. [1] According to the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, in 2002, 7,200 Hong Kong residents commuted daily to Shenzhen for work, and 2,200 students from Shenzhen commuted to school in Hong Kong. Though neighbouring each other, daily commuters still need to pass through customs and immigration checkpoints as travel between the SEZ and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) is restricted. China relaxed travel restrictions to allow individuals from southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as Beijing and Shanghai, to visit Hong Kong in late July 2003. Previously, mainland travellers could only visit the city as part of tour groups. (See Individual Visit Scheme) Immigration into Shenzhen from the Chinese interior is heavily restricted by the hukou system. One consequence is that just outside of Shenzhen there are large towns which consist of a large number of migrants from the Chinese interior who attempt to enter the city. Economy Shenzhen reflection showing Shun Hing Square in centerIn 2001, the working population reached 3.3 million. Though the secondary sector of industry had the largest share (1.85 million in 2001, increased by 5.5%), the tertiary sector of industry is growing fast (1.44 million in 2001, increased by 11.6%). Shenzhen's GDP totaled CNY 492.69 billion in 2005, up by 15 percent over the previous year. Its economy grew by 16.3 percent yearly from 2001 to 2005 on average, The proportion of the three industries to the aggregate of GDP was 0.3:51.6:48.1 in 2004 and 0.2:52.4:47.4 in 2005. The proportion of the tertiary industry to GDP was down by 0.7 percent [2]. Shenzhen is in the top ranks among mainland Chinese cities in terms of comprehensive economic power. It ranked the fourth in GDP among mainland Chinese cities in 2001, while it ranked the top in capitation GDP during the same period. Its import and export volumes have been first for the last nine consecutive years. It is the second in terms of industrial output. For five consecutive years, its internal revenue within local budget ranks third. It also comes the third in the actual use of foreign capital. [3] Shenzhen is also a major manufacturing center in China. One highrise a day and one boulevard every three days is one famous line referring to Shenzhen in the 1990s. With 13 buildings at over 200 meters tall, including the Shun Hing Square (the 8th tallest building in the world), Shenzhen is a marvel of lights after sunset. [4] Shenzhen is home to some of China's most successful high-tech companies, such as Huawei and ZTE. A number of foreign IT companies also have facilities in the city - Foxconn has a manufacturing plant based in Shenzhen where they make most of the iPods and laptops for Apple Computer. It appears to be shipping a large majority of the new Intel based machines at this stage. The city has more than four hundred of the world's five hundred biggest companies. Pollution Shenzhen's severe pollution problems also make it representative of the new Chinese economy. In 2004, 21 days in October were smoggy and, in April 2006, two companies in Bao'an District were fined for dumping chemical wastes directly into the Shanghenglang River. Because the Chinese government inadequately investigates information on dumping violations and provides overly conservative figures on pollution and air quality, Shenzhen's pollution concerns are likely far worse than public statistics reveal. Shenzhen, however, does have a serious pollution problem. Many expatriates returning home often complain of recurring lung sickness, which most likely is related to the extreme amount of pollution in Shenzhen. Though efforts to decrease pollution are increasing, most of these efforts are token in nature, as local officials are loathe to curb the city's booming economy by enforcing environmental policies. Shenzhen Stock Exchange The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (the SSE) is a mutualized national stock exchange under the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the CSRC) that provides a venue for securities trading. A broad spectrum of market participants, including 540 listed companies, 35 million registered investors and 177 exchange members, create the market. Here buying and selling orders are matched in a fair, open and orderly market, through an automated system to create the best possible prices based on price-time priority. Since its creation in 1990, the SSE has blossomed into a market of great competitive edges in the country, with a market capitalization around RMB 1 trillion (US$ 122 billion). On a daily basis, around 600,000 deals, valued US$ 807 million, trade on the SSE. China securities market is undergoing fundamental changes. The implementation of the new Securities Law, Company Law, self-innovation strategy as well as the development of non-tradable share reform embodies enormous opportunities to the market. Adhering to the principle of "Regulation, Innovation, Cultivation and Service", the SSE will continue to maintain its focus on developing the Small and Medium Enterprises Board, while seeking for a tier market. [5] The initial public offering (IPO) activity in Shenzhen stock exchange was suspended from September 2000 as the Chinese government pondered merging its bourses into a single exchange in Shanghai and launch a Nasdaq-style second board in Shenzhen aimed at private and technology companies. Integration with Hong Kong Many visitors that cross the Hong Kong SAR/mainland China border to Shenzhen go for the shopping, where goods and services are supposedly far cheaper than those in Hong Kong. However, without coming prepared knowing the prices of specific items the goods may end up being far more expensive than in Hong Kong while others are only marginally cheaper, even after a long phase of negotiating. The lack of a price differential and inconvenience may make it better off buying in Hong Kong.[citation needed] The shopping mall most visited by tourists is Lo Wu Commercial City, situated close to the railway station. This contains an overwhelming array of beauty parlours and stores selling clothes, handbags, fabric, jewellery and electrical goods as well as many vendors of pirated software, DVDs, counterfeit goods and mobile phones. With the number of tourists, it is also a popular location for prostitution, drugs, pickpockets and begging. However, Hua Qiang Bei (North of Huang Qiang Road) is the real mega shopping area favored by locals. As of 2005, a modern subway links Lo Wu with most of Shenzhen along its east-west axis. Port Situated in the Pearl River Delta in China’s Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Port is adjacent to HK. The city’s 260km coastline is divided by the Kowloon Peninsula into two halves, the eastern and the western. Shenzhen’s western port area lies to the east of Lingdingyang in the Pearl River Estuary and possesses a deep water harbor with superb natural shelters. It is about 20 sea miles from Hong Kong to the south and 60 sea miles from Guangzhou to the north. By passing Pearl River system, the western port area is connected with the cities and counties in Pearl River Delta networks; by passing On See Dun waterway, it extends all ports both at home and abroad. The eastern port area lies north of Dapeng Bay where the harbor is wide and calm and is regarded as the best natural harbor in South China. Shenzhen handled a record number of containers in 2005, ranking as the world's fourth-busiest port, after rising trade increased cargo shipments through the southern Chinese city. Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, China Merchants Holdings (International) Co and other operators of the port handled 16.2 million standard 20-foot boxes last year, a 19 per cent increase. Investors in Shenzhen are expanding to take advantage of rising volume. Hong Kong-based Hutchison, the world's biggest port operator, and its mainland Chinese partner plan to add six berths at Yantian by 2010, bringing the total to 15. China Merchants, a State-controlled port manager, said on January 6 it will increase its investment in a container terminal in Shenzhen's Mawan. The company also plans to pay its parent company HK$2.07 billion (US$265 million) for land at Shekou to expand its cargo business. Yantian International Container Terminals, Chiwan Container Terminals, Shekou Container Terminals, China Merchants Port and Shenzhen Haixing (Mawan port) are the major port terminals in Shenzhen. Transportation Shenzhen can be reached by air, train, sea or road. Shenzhen Airport is 35km from central Shenzhen and connects the city with many other parts of China, as well as some international destinations. It is normally cheaper for people based in Hong Kong to fly to Mainland Chinese destinations from Shenzhen than from Hong Kong, and it is usually cheaper for those based in southern Mainland China to fly out of Hong Kong to international destinations. Shenzhen airport is conveniently connected by coach directly to Hong Kong airport for a fee of ¥200 or HK$200. The airport is connected to the city by an airport bus route 330 which terminates at Hualian Dasha in Shennan Zhong Lu. Other city buses also connect with the airport, but some only turn round at the roundabout outside leaving passengers with a long walk. Shenzhen Railway Station is located at the junction of Jianshe Lu, Heping Lu and Renmin Nan Lu and provides links to different parts of China. There are frequent trains to Guangzhou, plus long-distance trains to Beijing, Jiujiang, Maoming, Shantou and other destinations. The train journey from Hong Kong's Kowloon Tong KCR station to Lo Wu's border crossing takes approximately 40 minutes at a cost of (in September 2003) HK$33, or HK$66 for first class. Trains run every 3-8 minutes from 5:30am to 12:00pm and the border crossing is open daily from 6:30am to midnight. Although the immigration laws recently changed, most Europeans and Americans will still need to apply for a visa, which can be obtained for 160Yuan at the border crossing. The application process takes up to 20 minutes upon which a 7 day visitor's visa restricted to the Shenzen area is issued. Japanese people do not need to apply for a visa. There is another railway station located in Nanshan District, Shenzhen Xi, which is used for a small number of long distance trains, such as the one to Hefei. Since February 2003, the road border crossing with Hong Kong at Huanggang has been open 24 hours a day. The journey can be made by private vehicle or by bus. A shuttle bus connects it with the Lok Ma Chau Public Transport Interchange on the other side of the border. A metro system opened on 27th December 2004. It has two lines, one from Luohu (Lo Wu & Shenzhen railway stations) to Window of the World, and the other from Huanggang to a point further north. For details, please refer to the article about Shenzhen Metro. Taxis are metered and come in three colours. Red taxis may travel anywhere, green ones are restricted to outside the SEZ, and yellow ones are restricted to inside the SEZ. Shenzhen is also connected by fast ferries linking Shekou, on the west edge of the SEZ with Zhuhai, Macau, Hong Kong International Airport, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Tourist attractions Although Shenzhen enjoys a good reputation for shopping and travel, some Hong Kong citizens are concerned about the relatively high crime rate in Shenzhen. Reports of businessmen and tourists being robbed and kidnapped in Shenzhen are not uncommon in Hong Kong newspapers. Shenzhen's major tourist attractions include the Chinese Folk Culture Villages, the Window of the World, Happy Valley, Splendid China and the Safari Park in Nanshan district, the Dameisha Promenade and Xiaomeisha Beach Resort in Yantian district, Zhongying Street, Xianhu Lake Botanical Garden, and the Minsk World. The city also offers free admission to a number of public parks including the Lianhuashan Park, Lizhi Park and Wutongshan Park. Shenzhen is famous for the great variety of cuisines that its numerous restaurants provide. Most tourists, however, choose to stay in a largely expatriate community called Shekou (lit. snake mouth). It is a residential area, with few commercial buildings. This place has many Western-based resturants and a large plaza called Sea World. Sea World is host to many common American businesses, such as McDonalds and Starbucks. The main attraction of Sea World is a large French cruise liner that is cemented into the ground. It was taken from the French because it was believed to be a drug-smuggling vessel. See the Shenzhen travel guide on the Wikitravel site for further details. Colleges and universities Shenzhen University Shenzhen Polytechnic Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology Shenzhen is the candidate of People's Republic of China for the organization of the 2011 Summer Universiade. |
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