A Window on Shenzhen, China

I had an opportunity recently to travel to China for the second time in as many months. This second trip took me to the special economic zone of Shenzhen which lies just across the border with Hong Kong. Shenzhen is a city of roughly 15 million people in an area that is approximately the same size as Toronto, Canada (urban area of 1,700 square kilometers).

 

 

 

 

It was the second visit to Shenzhen for me, although the first time had been in 2013 and only for a short day at that, so I had no time to explore the city then. On this occasion, however, I had more time on my hands, and I took advantage of that time to do a little bit of exploring.

As with some of the other Chinese cities I had been in a month earlier, Shenzhen grew out of a master plan. (I will talk more about the other cities in a later post). The main roads through the city are broad avenues, an extensive bus and subway system criss-crosses the metropolis to transport the many millions of people to and from their homes and work. Traffic didn’t really appear to be too much of a problem, and definitely not nearly as bad as the conditions of Bangkok. There is, however, the incessant honking of horns as people urge drivers in front of them to move over or get out of the way, or simply to get them to move.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Space

There was a huge park near the hotel where I stayed, and so I ventured to the park on two mornings for my run. The temperature, even at 6.30 am was already too hot at nearly 30 degrees centigrade, and the humidity was near saturation point, probably in the mid to upper 90 percentile. Taking only a few steps outside the hotel door brought the first drops of sweat which soon turned into running streams, and I hadn’t even started my morning run yet. Hundreds of people were making use of the park for their morning exercise, including running, bicycling, yoga, and other forms of physical exertion, I joined the runners and set off on the first lap of a large lake at the center of the park.

Bicycles are everywhere

On another occasion I took a long walk through the city along a few of the major roads. What is quite amazing in Shenzhen is the amount of green space to be found. Nearly all roads are lined with mature trees, with sufficient space behind the trees to form a natural green border to the roads. In some other areas more space has been devoted to green areas, and the overall effect is like a city set in a park instead of a park in a city. What’s more, bicycles in the thousands can be found along the sidewalks, ready for people to take and travel to whatever destination they have in mind. A smart phone, the right application, and an account with the bicycle service operator are all that is needed to scan a code on the back fender of the bicycle to get a code to unlock and ride it away, the rental charge automatically deducted from a bank account. On some occasions I nearly cursed some riders, as many motorcycles and bicycles are electric, and so you cannot hear them approach until they are within an inch of your elbow; enough to give you a start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books, Art, Music, Culture, all in one space

From walking along the roads and through the parks I moved on to the Shenzhen Museum, a huge book-music-art-culture store, and eventually the city library. I love libraries, and this library certainly did not disappoint. Many people will equate libraries with stuffy spaces, old books gathering dust on sagging shelves, but here that is not the case. The library was full with people reading, researching, doing homework, or simply just hanging out, chilling, with a coffee and a great book. To stay relevant, that is what many libraries have had to do, to reinvent themselves in some great architectural spaces, with modern amenities such as coffee service and some basic snacks in strictly controlled areas. Overall the atmosphere is peaceful and very conducive to relaxing, reading, and studying.

Shenzhen Museum

Dioramas depicting the history and development of Shenzhen.

Shenzhen museum – products from local industry.

The museum is also a wonderful place. Although it does not carry artifacts from thousands of years ago, the Museum does do justice to China’s modern period, the opening of the nation, the development of the special economic zone, and the modern era. Most of the exhibition space is taken up by dioramas of traditional life and living conditions, industry, and modern manufacturing. One hall has been turned over to the story of Deng Xiaoping and his connection to Shenzhen’s history and development, while another area displays a wide array of products manufactured in Shenzhen over the decades, from military hardware to computers and chips.

The revolution…propaganda posters from an earlier era.

Deng Xiaopeng and his Red Flag brand Inspection Vehicle

A new trend in urban living

I should quickly mention the giant book-art-music-culture outlet. This building of three floors, consists of two main halls. These two halls ve been given over to a large book store in one space, and a large music, movies, games store in the other space. Surrounding these two main halls are three floors of smaller shops that cater to art, music, book lovers and more. Small restaurants and coffee shops are interspersed with the shops, and as I walked through the facility, every single space had at least a few groups of people enjoying the offerings available. A couple of sets of bleachers at either end of the large halls were filled with people of all ages, reading, talking, working on homework, and more.

 

A coffee space in the books center

The 24-hour books and coffee bar

 

This is perhaps a theme that is developing in major urban centers throughout China. Shopping malls and other large communal spaces such as this library-book store facility, are beginning to offer small spaces where artisans can work on their particular craft, and have enough space left over for small classrooms where families can learn a new skill. One of the shopping malls I visited as part of my business trip had recently been refurbished, with a similar concept of small stores and shops, with a plethora of small spaces available for families to come and learn a new skill – according to the shopping mall owner, this is a new trend in China, where on weekends parents want to spend more time with their children yet cannot take out the time to drive into the coutryside for three or four hours, and so they come to these types of facilities to enjoy quality family time. Similarly, the large book-music emporium offered such opportunities to families, and although I was there on a weekday, there were people making use of these interesting little shops – pottery, painting, flower arranging, wood working, sewing, knitting etc.

Fisheries is the history of Shenzhen, and this exhibit presents its importance

Shenzhen city library architecture

 

The exterior of Shenzhen city library – architecture

Shenzhen city library .

The modern library . .

Design and form .

Art, Architecture, and much more, all in Shenzhen

There are many other places to explore in Shenzhen, including Window of the World, a beach and seaside resort areas, more parks, theme parks, etc. For my four-day business trip, I managed to get in quite a few places, and thoroughly enjoyed the time, but perhaps for your holiday, put together a more complete schedule, and enjoy a sojourn in one of China’s most important economic fastest growing cities.