Shenzhen

Infobox Settlement
name = City of Shenzhen
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native_name = 深圳市
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settlement_type = Sub-provincial city
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imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Shenzhen reflection showing Shun Hing Square in center

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Shenzhen within Guangdong in China

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pushpin_map_caption = Location in China
pushpin_mapsize = 250
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = PRC
subdivision_type1 = County-level divisions
subdivision_name1 = 6
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established_title = SEZ formed
established_date = May 1, 1980
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area_total_km2 = 2020
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area_total_sq_mi = 780
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area_urban_km2 = 395.81
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population_as_of = 2007(est)
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population_total = 12000000
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population_urban = 4000000
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population_blank1_title =Major nationalities
population_blank1 =Han
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timezone = China Standard Time
utc_offset = +8
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latd=22 |latm=33 |lats= |latNS=N
longd=114 |longm=06 |longs= |longEW=E
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elevation_m = 25
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area_code =755
blank_name =License plate prefixes
blank_info = 粤B
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blank2_name =¥676.5 billion
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website = http://english.sz.gov.cn/
footnotes = Shenzhen is a city of sub-provincial administrative status in southern China's Guangdong province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. Owing to China's economic liberalization from the policies of reformist leader Deng Xiaoping, the area became China's first - and ultimately most successful - Special Economic Zone.

Shenzhen's novel and modern cityscape is the result of the vibrant economy made possible by rapid foreign investment since the late 1970s, when it was but a small fishing village. Since then, foreign nationals have invested more than US$30 billion for building factories and forming joint ventures. It is now reputedly one of the fastest growing cities in the world. [cite web
url=http://www.buyusa.gov/china/en/shenzhen.html
title=Shenzhen
publisher=U.S. Commercial Service
year=2007
accessdate=2008-02-28
language= English] Being southern China's major financial centre, Shenzhen is home to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as well as the headquarters of numerous high-tech companies. Shenzhen is also the second busiest port in mainland China, ranking only after Shanghai.

Shenzhen will be the host city of the 2011 Summer Universiade.

History

The one-time fishing village of Shenzhen, singled out by late Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, to be the first of the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in 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".

The location was chosen to attract industrial investments from Hong Kong since the two places are near each other and share the same culture.Fact|date=June 2008 The concept proved successful, 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 has become one of the economic powerhouses of China as well as 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. 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.

For five months in 1996, Shenzhen was home to the Provisional Legislative Council and Provisional Executive Council of Hong Kong.

A blaze, apparently ignited by fireworks, killed at least 43 people and injured 88 others at the "Kind of the Dancers" club September 20 2008. [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/09/20/china.fire/index.html]

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 total population of 8,615,500, at the end of 2007. Among those, 2,123,800 had legal residence. Shenzhen is a sub-tropical maritime region, with frequent tropical cyclones in summer and early autumn, with an average temperature of 22.4°C year-round (72°F) although daytime temperatures can exceed 35°C. Fact|date=September 2008

Shenzhen was originally a mountainous area, with fertile agrarian land. However, after the introduction of special economic zone in 1979, Shenzhen underwent tremendous change in landscape. The once hilly fishing village is now replaced by mostly flat ground in downtown area, with only Lianhua Shan (Lotus Hill), Bijia Shan (Bijia Mountain) and Wutong Shan the only three places that have some kind of elevation viewed from satellites. With the influx of emigrants from inland China, Shenzhen is experiencing a second stage boom, and it is now expanding peripherally and the hills in surrounding areas such as Mission Hills are now being toppled over to make land for more development.

Shenzhen is located on the border with the Hong Kong SAR across the Sham Chun River and Sha Tau Kok River, 100 km southeast of the provincial capital of Guangzhou, and 60 km south of the industrial city of Dongguan. To the southwest, the resort city of Zhuhai is a 60 km away.

Administrative divisions

Shenzhen is a sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over six districts.

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 4th largest in the world.

Demographics

Shenzhen has seen its population and activity develop rapidly since the establishment of the SEZ. Its official population listed at around nine million (including floating residents), Shenzhen has been the fastest growing city in China for the past 30 years. However, many people think there are far more residents, mostly because they are commuters from Dongguan. One problem with such rampant population growth is the accompanied problem of people without "hukou", or residency permits (with 70% of that number being residents without a permanent "hukou"), most "old" Shenzhen locals felt that the practice of opening the city to inland residents 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.Fact|date=May 2008

There had been migration into southern Guangdong and what is now Shenzhen since the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) 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.diagram needed

The population structure polarizes into two opposing extremes: intellectuals with a high level of education, and migrant workers with poor education.Shenzhen Government Online, [http://web.archive.org/web/20060514130659/http://english.sz.gov.cn/lis/200509/t488.htm Citizens' Life] (Recovered from the Wayback Machine)] It was reported in June 2007 that over 20 percent of China's PhD's worked in Shenzhen. ["Shenzhen Daily" 13 June 2007]

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.

In late July 2003, China relaxed travel restrictions to allow individuals from the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as Beijing and Shanghai, to visit Hong Kong. Previously, mainland travelers 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 consisting of a large number of migrants from the Chinese interior who attempt to enter the city.

Climate

Shenzhen is situated in the subtropical part of China, located at about the Tropic of Cancer. The weather is generally pleasant in Shenzhen, temperate and mild in the autumn; winters are mild as the South China Sea buffers its climate, so cold snaps are not common. In the spring Shenzhen is relatively dry, and then it has a hot and wet summer, occasionally hit by typhoons from the east, but the temperature rarely reaches over 35 degrees Celsius.

Economy

In 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 676.54 billion in 2007, up by 14.7 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 0.1:50.9:49.0 in 2007. The proportion of the primary industry to GDP was down by 17.3%, and the tertiary industry was up by 15%. [ [http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/01/29/1323224.htm tmcnet.com] ] Shenzhen is in the top ranks among mainland Chinese cities in terms of comprehensive economic power. It ranked fourth in GDP among mainland Chinese cities in 2001, while it ranked the top in GDP per capita 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 ranks third in the use of foreign capital. [ [http://www.sz.gov.cn/english/economy/default.htm sz.gov.cn] ]

Shenzhen is a major manufacturing centre in China. In the 1990s, Shenzhen was described as, "one highrise a day and one boulevard every three days". The Shenzhen skyline has 13 buildings at over 200 metres tall, including the Shun Hing Square (the 9th tallest building in the world). [ [http://www.diserio.com/top15-skylines.html diserio.com top skylines] ]

Shenzhen is home to some of China's most successful high-tech companies, such as Huawei, Tencent and ZTE. A number of foreign IT companies also have facilities in the city. Taiwan's largest company Hon Hai Group has a manufacturing plant based in Shenzhen which makes most of the iPods, iPhones and notebooks for Apple, Inc. Lenovo, the Chinese conglomerate that bought the personal computing division of IBM in 2005, manufactures its line of ThinkPad notebook computers in Shenzhen. IBM has a joint venture in Shenzhen manufacturing server products. Many of these foreign high-tech companies have their operations in the Science and Technology park in Nanshan District or outside the core districts where labor and land are much cheaper. In the financial sector, China Merchants' Bank, one of the largest banks in China, has its headquarters in Shenzhen. Shenzhen City Commercial Bank, Ping An Insurance and Wal-Mart China are also based in the city.

In 2007, the GDP reached a record high of 676.54 billion yuan, an increase of 14.7% over 2006. Shenzhen's economic output is ranked seventh among the 659 Chinese cities, and it is comparable to that of a medium sized province in China. In 2007, Shenzhen's GDP per capita was 79,221 yuan (US$10,628), ranking seventh among the 659 Chinese cities.

Industrial zones

Main industrial zones in Shenzhen are Shenzhen Free Trade Zone and Shenzhen High-tech Industrial Park.

Shenzhen Stock Exchange

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (the SZSE) 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 designed to be matched in a fair, open and orderly market, through an automated system to create the best possible prices based on price-time priority. Trading volumes have been robust.

Since its creation in 1990, the SSE has grown with a market capitalization around 1 trillion yuan (US$122 billion). On a daily basis, around 600,000 deals, valued at US$807 million, trade on the SSE.

China's 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 is focused on developing the Small and Medium Enterprises Board, while seeking a loose tier market. [ [http://www.szse.cn/main/en/Catalog_1378.aspx szse.cn main] ]

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 launched a Nasdaq-style second board in Shenzhen aimed at private and technology companies.

Cityscape

Shenzhen is home to the world's ninth tallest building, the Shun Hing Square (Diwang Building). Shenzhen has built 23 buildings over 200 metres, mostly in the Luohu and Futian districts. The second tallest building in Shenzhen is SEG Plaza at a height of 356 meters (292 meters to roof-top). It is located in the commercial and shopping district of Hua Qiang Bei (华强北).

Shenzhen has some of the largest public projects in China. The International Trade Center (国贸), built in 1985, was the tallest building in China when built, and the Shun Hing building was also the tallest in Asia when it was built (still the tallest steel building in the world).

Shenzhen is also the site for many tall building projects. Some of the supertalls that have been either proposed or approved are well over 400 meters. The current tallest building under construction is the 439 metre tall Kingkey Finance Tower, which will be finished in 2010. Other proposed buildings would surpass the Kingkey Finance Tower's height by 2015.

Integration with Hong Kong

Hong Kong and Shenzhen have very close business, trade and social links as demonstrated by the statistics presented below. Except where noted the statistics are taken from sections of the Hong Kong Government (HKG) website. [ [http://www.gov.hk GovHK - one-stop portal of the Hong Kong SAR Government / 香港政府一站通 ] ]

As of December 2007, there are six land crossing points on the boundary between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. From west to east these are Shenzhen Bay Port road crossing (opened 1st July 2007); Huanggang to Lok Ma Chau rail connection linking Shenzhen Metro Line 4 to the MTR East Rail Line Lok Ma Chau Extension (opened 15th August 2007); Huanggang to Lok Ma Chau road connection; Futian to Man Kam To road connection; Luohu to Lo Wu rail connection linking the MTR East Rail Line to Shenzhen Metro Line 1, Shenzhen Rail Station and Luohu in general; and the Shatoujiao to Sha Tau Kok road connection. [HKG Monthly Digest of Statistics] Both of the rail connections require the passengers to cross the Shenzhen River on foot as there is no direct rail connection between the two cities, although the Hong Kong intercity trains to other mainland cities pass through Shenzhen without stopping. In 2006, there were around 20,500 daily vehicular crossings of the boundary in each direction. Of these 65 percent were goods vehicles, 27 percent cars and the remainder buses and coaches. The Huanggang crossing was most heavily used at 76 percent of the total, followed by the Futian crossing at 18 percent and Shatoujiao at 6 percent. [HKG Traffic and Transport Digest] Of the goods vehicles, 12,000 per day were container carrying and, using a rate of 1.44 teus/vehicle, this results in 17,000 teus/day across the boundary, [HKG Cross Boundary Survey 2004] while Hong Kong port handled 23,000 teus/day during 2006, excluding transshipment trade. [HKG Shipping Statistics]

Trade with Hong Kong in 2006 consisted of US$333 billion of imports of which US$298 billion were re-exported. Of these figures 94 percent were associated with China. [HKG Trade and Industry Statistics] Considering that 34.5 percent of the value of Hong Kong trade is air freight (only 1.3 percent by weight), a large proportion of this is associated with China as well. [ [http://www.hongkongairport.com Hong Kong International Airport - Your Regional Hub with Worldwide Connections and Gateway to China ] ]

Also in 2006 the average daily passenger flow through the four connections open at that time was over 200,000 in each direction of which 63 percent used the Luohu rail connection and 33 percent the Huanggang road connection. [HKG Monthly Digest of Statistics] Naturally, such high volumes require special handling, and the largest group of people crossing the boundary, Hong Kong residents with Chinese citizenship, use only a biometric ID card (Home Return Permit)and a thumb print reader. As a point of comparison, Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok Airport, the 5th busiest international airport in the World, handled 59,000 passengers per day in each direction. [ [http://www.hongkongairport.com Hong Kong International Airport - Your Regional Hub with Worldwide Connections and Gateway to China ] ]

Hong Kong conducts regular surveys of cross-boundary passenger movements, with the most recent being in 2003, although the 2007 survey will be reported on soon. In 2003 the boundary crossings for Hong Kong Residents living in Hong Kong made 78 percent of the trips, up by 33 percent from 1999, whereas Hong Kong and Chinese residents of China made up 20 percent in 2006, an increase of 140 percent above the 1999 figure. Since that time movement has been made much easier for China residents, and so that group have probably increased further yet. Other nationalities made up 2 percent of boundary crossings. Of these trips 67 percent were associated with Shenzhen and 42 percent were for business or work purposes. Of the non-business trips about one third were to visit friends and relatives and the remainder for leisure. [HKG Cross Boundary Survey 1999 & 2003]

Apart from the business and family trips, many Hong Kong and overseas visitors 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 shopping mall most visited by day-tourists is Lo Wu Commercial CityFact|date=May 2008, situated close Luohu border crossing. This contains an overwhelming array of beauty parlours and stores selling clothes, handbags (usually fake-designer), 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, riding two stops on the Shenzhen Metro would bring them to Lao Jie Station for the Dongmen shopping area, and four stops to Hua Qiang Bei, which are the shopping areas most favoured by locals.

The other reasons for Hong Kong tourists to visit Shenzhen are the restaurants from many provinces, usually at a cost of one quarter that of Hong Kong and often of superior quality, and the genuine massage and beauty parlours at about one tenth the cost of Hong Kong. However, the ability to read or speak Chinese is necessary.

Future integration plans

In Section 114(1) of the policy address on 10 October 2007, [ [http://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/07-08/eng/p114.html 2007-08 Policy Address - Policy Address ] ] Donald Tsang, Hong Kong Chief Executive, stated:

Jointly developing a world-class metropolis with Shenzhen: In my Election Platform, I have put forward the vision of developing the Hong Kong-Shenzhen metropolis and undertaken to strengthen our co-operation. My proposals met with positive responses from the Shenzhen authorities. We share a common goal and have had some preliminary exchange of views. Currently, we are discussing airport collaboration and the development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop.

On 21 November 2007, the Shenzhen Government officially endorsed this policy and included it in the Shenzhen planning blueprint for the period up to 2020. It was announced that Shenzhen mayor, Xu Zongheng, would visit Hong Kong in December 2007 to sign a metropolis agreement with the SAR government. [ [http://paper.sznews.com/szdaily/20071123/ca2834850.htm SZ-HK metropolis on agenda ] ]

The plans were originally detailed by the Hong Kong non-governmental think tank, Bauhinia Research Foundation in August 2007, and covered such matters as financial services, hi-tech and high-end research and development, transport, environmental matters and ecology. It was claimed that Shenzhen-Hong Kong could be the third largest metropolis in GDP terms by 2020, only behind New York City and Tokyo. The plan was also endorsed by the China Development Institute, a Shenzhen-based non-government think tank. [ [http://www.china.org.cn/english/government/232840.htm Shenzhen 'worthy' partner for HK - china.org.cn ] ]

Port

Situated in the Pearl River Delta in China’s Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Port is adjacent to Hong Kong. The city’s 260 km 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 harbour 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 harbour is wide and calm and is regarded as the best natural harbour 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 convert|20|ft|m|sing=on 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. 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.

Air

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport is 35 kilometers from central Shenzhen and connects the city with many other parts of China, and serves some international destinations. It is normally cheaper for people based in Hong Kong to fly to Mainland Chinese destinations from Shenzhen rather 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.

Train

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 high speed trains to Guangzhou, plus long-distance trains to Beijing, Jiujiang, Maoming, Shantou and other destinations. The train from Hong Kong's East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station to the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau border crossings take 43 minutes and 45 minutes respectively. Trains depart East Tsim Sha Tsui for Lo Wu every 6-8 minutes from 5:36am to 11:13pm. The border crossing at Lo Wu is open daily from 6:30am to midnight. The Lok Ma Chau border crossing closes around 10:30. Returning trains from Lo Wu to East Tsim Sha Tsui depart every 6-8 minutes from 6:38am to 12:30am. The Lok Ma Chau Trains run at 10 minute intervals.

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.

The Shenzhen Metro system opened on 27 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 Shaonian gong (youth palace).

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.

Shenzhen has shorelines in its southwest and southeast and the city is home to some of the most popular and best beaches in China. Beaches like Dameisha and Xiaomeisha are often crowded with locals and tourists. The second best beach in ChinaFact|date=March 2008, the Xichong beach, is just one hour drive from downtown Shenzhen, and it till retains its age old natural beauties.

Road

Since February 2003, the road border crossing at Huanggang and Lok Ma Chau in Hong Kong has been open 24 hours a day. The journey can be made by private vehicle or by bus. On 15 August 2007, the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang pedestrian border crossing opened, linking Lok Ma Chau Station with Huanggang. With the opening of the crossing, shuttle buses between Lok Ma Chau transport interchange and Huanggang were terminated.

Taxis are metered and come in three colors. Red taxis may travel anywhere; green ones are restricted to outside the SEZ, and yellow ones are restricted to inside the SEZ.

There are also frequent bus and van services from Hong Kong International Airport to Huanggang and most major hotels in Shenzhen.

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 ShenzhenFact|date=January 2008. Reports of businessmen and tourists being robbed and kidnapped in Shenzhen are not uncommon in Hong Kong newspapers.Fact|date=June 2007

Shenzhen's major tourist attractions include the Chinese Folk Culture Village, the Window of the World, Happy Valley, Splendid China, the Safari Park in Nanshan district, the Dameisha Promenade, Xiaomeisha Beach Resort in Yantian district, Zhongying Jie / Chung Ying Street, Xianhu Lake Botanical Garden, and Minsk World. The city also offers free admission to a number of public parks including the Lianhuashan Park, Lizhi Park, Zhongshan Park and Wutongshan Park. Shenzhen offers a great variety of cuisines that its numerous restaurants provide.

Most tourists, however, choose to stay in a largely expatriate and exotic residential community called Shekou, home to a large French cruise liner cemented into the ground called Sea World [http://www.szseaworld.com/05-about-en/p-001.asp] . Shekou was expanded and renovated in recent years, including claiming additional land from the sea.

Colleges and universities

* Shenzhen University
* Shenzhen Polytechnic
* Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology
* Shenzhen Graduate School of Peking University
* Shenzhen Graduate School of Tsinghua University
* Shenzhen Graduate School of Harbin Institute of Technology
* Southern University of Science and Technology (Under Construction)

Sister cities

*flagicon|United States Houston, United States March 1986
*flagicon|Italy Brescia, Italy November 1991
*flagicon|Australia Brisbane, Australia June 1992
*flagicon|Poland Poznań, Poland July 1993
*flagicon|France Vienne, France October 1994
*flagicon|Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica March 1995
*flagicon|Togo Lomé, Togo June 1996
*flagicon|Germany Nuremberg, Germany May 1997
*flagicon|Belgium Walloon Brabant, Belgium October 2003
*flagicon|Japan Tsukuba, Japan June 2004
*flagicon|South Korea Gwangyang, South Korea October 2004
*flagicon|Malaysia Johor Bahru, Malaysia July 2006
*flagicon|Russia Perm, Russia 2006
*flagicon|Italy Turin, Italy January 2007
*flagicon|Romania Timişoara, Romania February 2007
*flagicon|Great Britain Rotherham, Great Britain November 2007
*flagicon|United States Reno, United States April 30 2008

Overseas Representative Offices

The Shenzhen City Government and the Shenzhen Bureau of Trade and Industry maintain offices overseas to promote trade and investment in Shenzhen. This uniquely aggressive effort has served to attract major investment projects and helped Shenzhen-based companies expand their markets by providing free assistance and government support.

*North American Representative Office of Shenzhen (Los Angeles)
*Europe Representative Office of Shenzhen (based in Nuremberg)
*Shenzhen Economic and Trade Representative Office in Japan (based in Tokyo)
*Shenzhen Economic and Trade Representative Office in Australia (based in Sydney)
*Additional office planned for New York.

ee also

* Economy of the People's Republic of China
* Special Economic Zones of the People's Republic of China
* Political divisions of China
* Sham Chun River (also known as Shenzhen River)
* Shenzhen Shangqingyin
* Special Economic Zone

References

External links

* [http://english.sz.gov.cn/ Shenzhen Government Online]
* [http://www.sznews.com/szdaily/ Shenzhen Daily] Daily English printed newspaper
* [http://wikitravel.org/en/Shenzhen Shenzhen] Wikitravel
* [http://www.shenzhenstuff.com/page/ Bilingual Shenzhen map]

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Shenzhen — 深圳 Shenzhen bei Nacht, mit Shun Hing Square im Hintergrund Basisdaten … Deutsch Wikipedia
Shenzhen — (chino: 深圳, pinyin: Shēnzhèn) es una ciudad de la provincia de Guangdong, en la zona sur de la República Popular China, en la frontera con Hong Kong. Ocupa un área de 2.020 Km² y su población aproximada es de 7.000.000 de habitantes lo que la… … Enciclopedia Universal
Shenzhen — [ʃɛndʒən], Shumchun [ʃumtʃun], Stadt und Verwaltungsbezirk 2 036 km2, offiziell 0,94 Mio. Einwohner, geschätzt 2 Mio. Einwohner (einschließlich ländliche Migranten) in der Provinz Guangdong, Südchina, an der Grenze zu Hongkong, an der Dapeng… … Universal-Lexikon
Shenzhen — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Shenzhen (homonymie). Shēnzhèn · 深圳 … Wikipédia en Français
Shenzhen — Ciudad subprovincial 深圳市 Shenzhen … Wikipedia Español
Shenzhen — ▪ China Wade Giles romanization Shen chen city, south central Guangdong sheng (province), southeastern China. It lies along the coast of the South China Sea and immediately north of Hong Kong. In 1979 Shenzhen was a small border… … Universalium
Shenzhen — 1 Original name in latin Shenzhen Name in other language Shen ch uan, Shen ch uan shih, Shen chen, Shen ch’an, Shen ch’an shih, Shenzhen, Shenzhen Zhen, shen zhen, shen zhen zhen State code CN Continent/City Asia/Shanghai longitude 29.41591… … Cities with a population over 1000 database
Shenzhen — noun /ˈʃenˈdʒen/ A sub provincial city in the south east of China, the third largest city, in the province of Guangdong. In 1979 Shenzhen was a small border city of some 30,000 inhabitants that served as a customs stop into mainland China from… … Wiktionary
Shenzhen — Admin ASC 2 Code Orig. name Shenzhen Country and Admin Code CN.30.1795563 CN … World countries Adminstrative division ASC I-II
Shenzhen (China) — Hotels: 999 Royal Suites & Towers Hotel Shenzhen (City Centre: Downtown) Airland Hotel Shenzhen (Dameisha) Bauhinia Hotel Shenzhen (City) Beilingju Hotel Shenzhen (City) … International hotels

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