Shenzhen
Discover Shenzhen
Shenzhen (深圳; Shēnzhèn in Mandarin, sam zan in Cantonese; abbreviation: SZ) is a fast-paced city of ambition and enterprise: engineers on the cutting edge of modern technology, hardscrabble farmers coming to the big city in search of a better life, middle managers who dream of someday opening their own factories, designers looking to sell to a global market, and all manner of entrepreneurs from across China. One of the most populous and richest cities in China, Shenzhen is in Guangdong Province on the Hong Kong border about 100 km south of Guangzhou. Shenzhen has been growing like crazy since the 1980s, thanks to its position on the border with Hong Kong and a government program to encourage investment. It's a dynamic, booming and futuristic city whose population comes from all over China. The city has become a center for international trade and manufacturing, especially electronics, leading many to call it the "Silicon Valley of China", and it's on the list of UNESCO Creative Cities as a design hub. No trip to Shenzhen will be complete without visiting at least one of its massive electronics markets. It is also an important financial hub, being home to mainland China's second largest stock exchange after the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Other draws for visitors include an array of amusement parks as well as extensive, scenic mountains for hiking.
Famous Beaches
Taste of Shenzhen...
Because Shenzhen is a migrant city, all of China's regional cuisines are represented here, with Guangdong, Hunan, and Sichuan food particularly common. Restaurants range from hole-in-the-wall establishments for homesick working class arrivals to opulent food palaces for businessmen and politicians entertaining clients. Spending ¥100 on a fantastic meal is no problem (though, you can spend ¥40 or less on a fantastic meal in Shenzhen). Treat yourself, and enjoy the wonderful food and variety of Shenzhen! Some outer neighborhoods in Shenzhen are known for a local specialty. Probably the most famous are oysters (生蚝 shēngháo) in Shajing in the far northwest of the city (Bao'an district)—they're said to be the "milk of the ocean floor", and the local ones are delicious and high in protein. International chains such as McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks are easy to find, especially in malls and Eat Streets (see below), and expensive foreign restaurants catering to expats are scattered throughout the city too. The biggest concentration by far is in Shekou. As well as casual restaurants and fine dining, Shenzhen is famous for its "Eat Streets". These are agglomerations of cheap and cheerful restaurants serving food from all over China. Despite the name, they're not limited to a single street; they may be spread over a small area of streets and alleys. They are not elaborate but they are friendly and fun and some of the food is to die for.
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Shenzhen.
Chinese classes are available, mainly serving Shenzhen's expat community. Shenzhen is a good place to practice your listening ability, as the main language of the city is Mandarin but you'll encounter a variety of standard and nonstandard accents from all over China. On the other hand, as a learner you'll have to be careful not to absorb the nonstandard pronunciations into your own speech, especially the widespread merging of c/ch, z/zh, and s/sh. Shenzhen's economy is dominated by manufacturing and trade, and this international orientation means significant job opportunities for foreigners. As with anywhere in China, the main work available for foreigners is teaching English. Demand is especially high here, because businesspeople who work in international trade want to improve their English to communicate with clients overseas, and well-off parents want their kids to learn English to give them an advantage in the future.
Climate
The best time to visit Shenzhen is October to December when the weather is pleasantly cool. Shenzhen has a sub-tropical climate with incredibly high humidity combined with soaring temperatures in the summer. For many, this is a season to avoid. The long intense summer also coincides with the typhoon season from June to October. Spring is cooler but is often afflicted by fog and heavy thunderstorms. Rain tends to come in bursts in Shenzhen—it can go from cloudy to pouring or from pouring to drizzling in just a few minutes. So if it looks like rain is coming, hurry up and get wherever you're going, and if you find that it's raining hard when you're about to go somewhere, it's often worth waiting a few minutes for it to clear. As part of the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong province, Cantonese used to be the primary language in Shenzhen.
Essential Information
Best Time to Visit
Oct – Decbest time to visit Shenzhen is October to December when the weather is pleasantly cool....
Getting There
Multiple OptionsSee the China page for more general information for entering mainland China. If you are travelling from Hong Kong or Macau and want to take a short trip to Shenzhen, you may not need a full mainland China visa. You can apply instead for a five-day Special Economic Zone Tourism Visa On Arrival (SEZ VOA) at the border. This visa gives you enough time to see Shenzhen's most interesting sights, fit in some off-the-beaten-path exploration or a couple of business meetings, and get a taste of what mainland China is like without the hassle of a full visa. The five-day visa is single-entry and restricts you to Shenzhen (including the suburbs covered in this article), so do not attempt onward travel to other cities in mainland China....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Shenzhen is big and spread out, so places can be further apart than they look on a map. When estimating travel time within the city, don't just eyeball it—check a map app to see how long it'll take to get somewhere. Shenzhen Metro (深圳地铁) is the most convenient and easy-to-understand method of transport in Shenzhen. Fares are ¥2-15, depending on how far you're traveling. Trains come every 3 minutes or so and the metro runs until 23:00. Stations are announced in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. There is a relatively high standard of public courtesy on the Shenzhen Metro. Some customs are unusual to foreigners; for example, people will often give their seats up to young children. Eating or drinking on the metro is prohibited. The Shenzhen Metro has 16 lines (including the Line 6 Branch line), 369 stations, and 547.42 km of trackage in operation, and is being rapidly expanded. Shenzhen Metro lines are numbered.
Where to Stay
Most tourists visit Shenzhen on a day trip from Hong Kong, but there are also plenty of options should you wish to spend the night here. Attractions in Shenzhen are spread out, so if you want to be able to see different parts of the city, look for lodging near a centrally located metro station (ideally in Futian or Luohu). If you're taking a longer trip and want to get out and explore the far-flung corners of the city, you may want to move around and find lodging in different districts—fortunately, there are plenty of hotels all over Shenzhen, so whatever you're interested in, you can surely find a place to sleep nearby. Since 2024, all licensed hotels in China outside restricted areas by law must accept foreigners. However, some budget hotels may turn you away because their staff are not familiar with the registration process, or simply do not want to go through the trouble. You can try your luck by showing front desk staff the official notice in Chinese.
Money & Budget
Shenzhen is internationally best known as the epicentre of electronics. The city and surrounding urbanization are home to countless circuit board manufacturers, assembly houses, retailers, and supporting businesses. Many of them will happily give you a tour on request! You can't say you have visited Shenzhen without having strolled through its electronics markets, and filled your backpack with LED strips! Most of the shopping is downtown: cheap markets for day-trippers from across the border, luxurious malls for the city's nouveau-riche, and the famous electronics markets. As befitting China's main tech hub, mobile payment apps WeChat Pay and Alipay are the most popular forms of payment.
Language & Talk
As part of the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong province, Cantonese used to be the primary language in Shenzhen. However, since the designation of Shenzhen as a Special Economic Zone, many people have migrated here from other parts of China to take advantage of its proximity to Hong Kong, and today, the migrant population far outnumbers the native Cantonese population in Shenzhen. As a result, Mandarin has replaced Cantonese as the primary language, and the city is a linguistic melting pot. In addition to various accents in Mandarin or Cantonese, the other languages of Guangdong – Teochew and Hakka – are fairly common, and you may hear languages from other parts of China. Taxi drivers are much more likely to speak Mandarin than Cantonese.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Despite its sensationalized reputation among Hong Kong residents for being crime-ridden during the 2000s, Shenzhen's crime rate compares favorably with those of American and European cities of similar size. Violent crime is rare, and it is generally safe for women to walk down the street alone at night. Nevertheless, as always, a little common sense goes a long way. The main crimes tourists are likely to encounter are scams and petty thefts. Pickpocketing is not as common as it used to be because the popularity of mobile payments means that many locals do not carry cash on them, but be careful in crowded shopping centres, subway trains, buses, stations and around the theme parks - keep your wallet in your front pocket. Being scammed is not as common as in Beijing or Shanghai but be alert for people touting for business (massage, watches, shoes etc.) around the Luohu area, as they sell below-standard fakes at inflated prices.