Fear and Loathing in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen,
China
Friday, August 3, 2007
It would hard to find any other place on earth quite like it. From sleepy fishing village called Baoan with 300,000 residents to futuristic metropolis with an estimated 13 million souls, Shenzhen has grown over the last two decades into a showcase for modern China - and it ain't pretty.
Situated directly across the border from Hong Kong, Shenzhen is part of Guangdong province. Despite being in the area formerly known as Canton, the main language used is Mandarin, and more than anywhere else in China, money talks. Shenzhen is the most expensive city in China, its GDP doubles every four years, and from 2004, there were no rural areas left in the once fertile river delta lowlands. These days, Shenzhen port is one of the busiest container ports in Asia, and as well as having an impressive skyline of high rise buildings, office towers and architectural wonders, the district is home to thousands of factories, all making cheap - and sometimes poor quality - goods for you and I.
In the dozen years I've been visiting China, Shenzhen has always been a place to go through (as quickly as possible) rather than stay. On my most recent trip though, I spent two nights in the 'City of Joy' (the local government's ambitious strapline for the city).
For me, Shenzhen has always been the first experience of China. You take the train, or a bus, to the border from Hong Kong, then go through immigration and customs. There's a bridge across a grey-green river with coils of barbed wire, you line up and get scanned by mounted cameras moving up and down, and then get your passport and visa scrutinized. And then you are free to explore China.
When walk outside the border control, the first thing you notice is that it is quite different from Hong Kong, the place you left 30 minutes before. Around the railway station Luohu those descriptive words come thick and fast: shabby, crowded, dirty, noisy, chaotic, unsafe. Stand on those steps and within minutes you'll be offered rooms, taxi rides, money exchange, and other services that you may or may not want.
While Hong Kong provides good tourist information, from the moment you step into China you'll be hard pressed to find any decent information, let alone signs in English. And many new residents are just as bewildered as you, in the city that seems to grow, expand and transform in front of your eyes. Pretty much anyone you meet will be from somewhere else - hence the preference for Mandarin rather than Cantonese.
So how did Shenzhen change from paddy fields on the Pearl River Delta to high-tech factories and award-winning designer buildings? Shenzhen's proximity to Hong Kong meant many geographical advantages. It was renamed Shenzhen City in 1979. And a year later, as part of China's opening up initiated by Deng Xiao Ping, Shenzhen became China's first Special Economic Zone, with its own border (to stop more Chinese from coming in). With tax rates half the national 30%, new businesses were set up and the 'Shanghai of the South' started to take off.
Soon, it became the manufacturing base for Hong Kong businesses. But in recent times, factories have shifted out of the city to the outskirts or to nearby Dongguan. And young entrepreneurs have moved in.
The biggest influx of people has been poorer people from provinces like Yunnan and Sichuan. Rural and farm folk - call them peasants if you will - go to Shenzhen to work in factories on assembly lines. Most do it for a few years to save up some money, but some turn to other ways of making a living. The 'S' in Shenzhen now stands for sweat, sleaze and sex.
It was certainly hot when I visited in late July, with temperatures soaring into the mid-30s C. Humidity was up there too, in the high 80s. Quite a contrast to the cool Lijiang morning I'd experienced a few hours before. It had been such a chilly morning, I'd put on an extra layer as I made the dash to the airport bus. For the second time in a row I missed the bus, just seeing it pull out of the depot as our mini-van sat waiting for the lights to change. Eventually I resigned to forking out 80 yuan - about US 12 - for the taxi ride to the airport on the new toll-gated freeway, past fields filled with rows of nodding heads of corn and sunflowers, as the low grey cloud lifted.
Flying in China, as most have discovered, involves a little less comfort and a little more fear than flying most carriers. On every flight it seems I can smell cigarette smoke, but then the meal appears and maybe the odour comes from the heating of the foil packets. Safety is improving on flights, but still there was no effort by cabin crew or parents to strap in their children for take-off or landing. I watched as the child by the window was thrown into the seat infront as we hit the runway. But that memory was quickly replaced by others, as all around me decided to get up out of their seats, open the overhead locker, grab their bulky bags and surge towards the exit. Even though we hadn't taxied to the terminal.
A friend met me at the airport and we went by fast bus to the railway station, the hub of all things fast, slow and cheap. Then we took the metro to Coco Park, an upmarket shopping mall complex, complete with boutique stores, a big supermarket Jusco, and what we'd come to see: an art show.
Now hold on a minute, you might be thinking. What, a metro subway and an art exhibition in a Chinese city built as a factory for the world? Yep, since 2004 Shenzhen has had its own metro, making it the sixth Chinese city to have a modern underground transportation system. While images of London's beautiful Underground Map or the romanticism of Paris's metro might come to mind, Shenzhen only has two lines, so is a little limiting in getting around the city. But the two lines it currently has are modern, sleek, easy-to-use and kind of complete that shop-til-you-drop nature of Shenzhen. You just buy a token from a booth for your destination, place it on the turnstile, the doors open, and you go to the platform to wait for your train. The trains themselves are clean, smooth, air-conditioned and reasonably fast compared to road traffic. Plus most the destinations are modern malls or plazas. You have a walk at least 200m from most Metro exits to find the seedier side of Shenzhen.
The art exhibition at Coco Park was from Chinese artists and most of it was experimental and innovative. I paid some money into a wooden booth and an artist inside drew me in a minute if I was a pig. Not flattering with a big nose, but fun. There were cartoons, sculptures, interactive displays and other art which was interesting to view. If you are in Shenzhen before the end of August, be sure to check it out.
Shenzhen's proximity to Hong Kong means HKers don't just use it for cheap manufacturing and even cheaper shopping, they also go across the border for a good night out. Alcohol is much cheaper, and there is a also a sizeable international community. In fact Shenzhen is perhaps the most international of Chinese cities, as well as having restaurants serving food from across the great vast nation we know as China. You'll find Sichuan hotpot as well as mutton from Xinjiang in the far west of China.
As far as cultural attractions go, there is nothing really left of Shenzhen's past. The main attractions are some theme parks. Splendid China and China Folk Culture Village showcase China, its history and varied cultures. Window of the World is the substitute for those Chinse who can't travel: inside are all the major landmarks, from the Eiffel Tower to Taj Mahar. The theme parks are located in the Happy Valley area. Enough said.
Many young HKers go across for raves, nightclubs and parties. Few Shenzhen people have made it across to Hong Kong, because they are not born and bred in Shenzhen, so have to get their ID back to their hometown to get permission to go across to China's newly re-united country.
I stayed one night downtown, in a hotel alongside what I guess was a river, but seemed more like a toxic sludge outlet. Nicer rooms faced away from the river, one staff member told me.
One the second day I found at a nearby mall, King Glory Plaza, a New Zealand restaurant. Just like those theme parks, there was something kitschy about the place. As if the owner had been on a three day tour of New Zealand and was inspired most at the duty-free souvenir store. Paua - or abalone - featured prominently at the New Zealand Paradise Café. Not just on the menu but also on the walls among the glittery marble, and even in a silver vase. Ferns were another motif, providing something of a relief against the harsh lights of the shopping mall, with its shiney polished floors, piped Musak, air-conditioning, and chromium.
Strangely, origami doves hung from the ceiling. All the staff seemed under 20 years old and under 5 foot tall, but were friendly and attentive, greeting with the usual 'hwun ing' [welcome] and filling up a glass of chilled water for me as I went through the menu.
While some of the dishes were New Zealand for sure - the most expensive was 288 yuan ($US40) for paua - some seemed to originate from Australia (Surf and Turf) or in that limbo-land of culinary fusion and confusion. So alongside sole fillets from NZ waters, and a few international dishes like pasta and garlic bread, there was such delights as Russian Borsht soup, ox tongue, sardines, veal, pork loins, German trotters, steak and cod, goose liver, steak strips, fried bacalhau, Portuguese-style curry, crab and grape salad, and king prawns.
So it wasn't exactly an authentic New Zealand experience. The Beatles played gently in the background as Chinese families and couples took a break from shopping to sample the exotic cuisine from afar. Most opted for the set menu at around $US 8 - soup, main, salad, bread roll (sweet and soft - Chinese style), tea or coffee, and dessert. Unlike many Chinese eating places trying to be Western, the food was actually served in the normal order, starting with soup, ending with dessert and coffee. In China, sweets start a meal, and soup is served at the end to wash everything down.
While there was no New Zealand beer or wine on the menu, and the décor was nothing to write home about, I guess diners would feel they were entering another world as they become more cosmopolitan and enjoyed the comfort of soft red chairs and sofas, and the strange sophistication of using knives and forks. And for those trying the lamb burger or meat pie, or perhaps sampling the apple pie with custard, there was possibly an insight into the far away land of New Zealand, regarded as the New Gold Mine in Cantonese dialect.
So is a place with no New Zealand staff as far as I could tell serving well the promotion of New Zealand to the Chinese? Possibly. It's portrayal of New Zealand as a paradise, the use of shellfish and plant themes and the use of natural ingredients like manuka honey can only enhance NZ's reputation as a clean and green country. In a way, it provides a reflection of how New Zealand is perceived and then presented to an Asian audience.
With all the walking around the city, I decided to go and get a foot massage. Now Shenzhen is famous for its massage, usually for the 'happy endings' offered by the many young women who have moved here from other places to make a living. Stories abound of the rough calloused hands of farmers working on bodies, and horror stories of people visiting parlours or bars only to wake up, having been drugged, minus a kidney. The fact that triads control many of the operations in Shenzhen means there are risks.
With this in mind I went to a reputable establishment with modern facilities, including a large hi-tech room where you could get your feet rubbed along with 60 others, while you watched TV on your own personal screen, while sipping green tea. At 18 yuan (less than $US 3) for an hour, this seemed like a steal. After having my feet soaked, a woman started to work on my feet, then before long started talking to me. Or at least trying to. I couldn't understand what she was going on about.
After half an hour she suddenly got up and left. Five minutes later another women, younger - only 19 - came in and started massaging my feet. She also tried her sales pitch. From my basic Mandarin and good understanding of body language she offered, first a private room, then a body massage, and then she whispered something to me which I didn't understand. But I was starting to understand that my hour massage was more an opportunity for the women to offer other services where they could earn more money. After the hour, I gave her a small tip, and left with happier feet than her downtrodden face.
The second night I stayed at a different hotel, rated 3 or 4 star and also part of a Green Hotel network. That meant one towel rather than two, and also that they only changed the bed linen on request if you stay more than a night. The hotel was quite hard to find and it was some distance from the railway station, its location even more inaccessible because of a large highway with barriers to prevent pedestrians crossing. Despite its location close to the major road and one of the larger shipping ports in Shenzhen, the surrounding apartments buffered any sound, and I awoke the next morning not to traffic but the sweet chirping of birds and laughter from the playground below.
I met with a friend who I'd first met maybe 8 years ago in Wuzhou. I'd been asked to talk to English language students about New Zealand, and met QiQi Dragon then. We've been in touch ever since. After working with an Indian oil company she now works in an export company processing sultanas and raisins for export. Let me know if you want a container load, eh. Or if you need any business contacts in China, as she now has a good network with classmates and friends, making everything from handbags to MP3 players.
On my way back through Shenzhen I spent 99% of the time trying to get to the airport from the rail station. Figuring that if I used the new Metro to go part of the way, avoiding busy downtown traffic, I arrived at the furthest station and waited for a bus to the airport. It was chaos. Hundreds waited for buses, and ran to cram onto overloaded buses which then sped off down the highway. After a long time my bus came along and I pushed in, with my 20+kg backpack and bulky day bag. While we raced along some sections, every 500m or so, we'd pull off onto the secondary road, and stop for more people to crowd in. Then after half an hour, during which I feared I was heading back into town, we stopped under a traffic overbridge and everyone squeezed out. I was last to leave, and ran too, to get onto another bus behind us. Time ticked by and we seemed to be going through towns and towns, past shops and high-rises, and more built up areas. The airport was no where in sight, and I had less than 30 minutes until my flight departed - usually you have to check in one hour before the flight leaves.
Finally we approached the new airport, but the bus stopped midway between Terminals A and B. Which one should I go to? I choose A and pushed my loaded trolley towards Terminal A, conscious that I might not get on my flight. Did I make it? Just. What does it prove? Life in Shenzhen is hectic.
