Shenzhen shenanigans

At first thought, CUHK’s remote location in the New Territories is a huge disadvantage. But I’ve come to like it, far more than I thought I would. The pace is slower, the air is cleaner and Sha Tin, just two MTR stops away has a lot of what I need. It also means that you can get to Shenzhen, China faster than you can get to Central, Hong Kong.

The East Rail line (which University is a part of) goes to Sheung Shui, then splits off to Lok Ma Chau or Lo Wu. These are two border crossings into mainland China, Futian and Luohu, respectively. The first one is great for getting to Shenzhen North Railway Station, where a lot of high speed rail trains depart, via the Longhua line in Shenzhen. The second is a must for getting a visa-on-arrival, and great for exploring the city, via the Luobao line.

Window of the World is a theme park, accessible via the Luobao line through the metro station of the same name (世界之窗). Admission is ¥180, and there is no student discount, which is pricey, maybe even expensive, especially by Chinese standards. The drawcard is replicas of tourist attractions from all over the world (except China), including the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, Niagara Falls, the Taj Mahal and the pyramids of Egypt. Of course the home of knockoff electronics also has knock-off tourist attractions. Of course.

The Washington Monument, Capitol and Mount Rushmore, together. 1:15 scale.

It took almost four hours to explore the park. As a side note, there was a free mini train ride across ‘Europe’, which I loved since I was gobsmacked the train tracks were functional.

Lychee Park (荔枝公园) is nice. It’s a street from the Grand Theatre metro station, also on the Luobao line (大剧院). It was a good way to pass two hours. I even had a short nap there!

Dongmen is a fun, touristy place to get food. It’s accessible via exit D of Laojie metro station on the Luobao line (老街). It goes over more than one street, and you can easily spend hours there.

Just outside the Lo Wu/Luohu border crossing is the Luohu Commercial City. I wouldn’t shop on the first three floors, because bargaining is a must, and for me, there’s no way I’ll ever ‘win’. But on the fourth floor are dozens of tailors. I got two suits tailored for ¥700, without negotiation. It takes three visits. The first to order and get measured. The second to try on a partially made suit. The third is to pick up the suit, of course. The whole process takes about a week, and I’m reasonably happy with what I got. I don’t have to buy any more suits in my lifetime now, right?

So those are the shenanigans I was up to on Tuesday the 22nd of December. I had a great day, not because Shenzhen is an amazing, must-go destination, but because I got to hang out with a friend one last time in person before we part ways.

For now, at least.