Sights, scents, and Shenzhen
July 8, 2005 | 12:00am
The sights, the scents that lure the senses, the sounds, the buzz, the pulsating energy, the excitement can be mind-boggling. Who would have thought that a city whose life revolved around fields, plantations, and farms for ages would suddenly turn into something this impressively grand. Indeed, the "deep drains" has awakened from its deep slumber. Today, it also carries a more recognizable name that people have come to know affectionately well: Shenzhen.
Most people call it a shopper’s paradise. Others are simply drawn to the city’s tourist attractions. Still others have a mouthful to say about its gastronomic offerings. Certainly, the best way to enjoy a visit to Shenzhen is to do a bit of everything. If you’re a first-time visitor (like this writer), it’s so much better if you’re traveling with frequent travelers to Shenzhen. I was lucky enough to have been in such good company – people from Air Philippines who, with travel agents and media people, recently went on a tour of Shenzhen.
These days, Air Philippines is on cloud nine. From its humble beginnings back in 1996, it has steadily soared. While only servicing flights to Subic, Iloilo, and Zamboanga in its first year, Air Philippines has increased flight routes to include chartered flights from Subic to Hong Kong and Laoag to Hong Kong in 2002, and Subic to Guangzhou in 2004. The new millennium also seemed to have ushered in a dollop of good fortune for this company as it continuously bagged awards for Best Domestic Airlines from numerous awarding bodies. And it didn’t take long before this domestic airline would spread its wings and go international.
Under the able leadership of Air Philippines president and CEO Capt. Edilberto Medina, Air Philippines has just been named by the Philippine government as the country’s official carrier to four international destinations, namely Japan, United States, China, and Singapore. However, Air Philippines is foregoing the US and Singapore routes and is flying instead to South Korea and Malaysia. This is in support of its goal to help foster East Asian economic growth and development. More, it is expected to start servicing other designated routes soon. At present, Air Philippines flies to Kwangju and Daego in Korea and to Canton and Chengdu in China, with the latest addition of Shenzhen.
Shenzhen City is nestled in the Guangdong province of China, sitting close to Hong Kong, Macao, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Hainan provinces. Shenzhen is a rather small city with a land area of 2,020 square kilometers and a meager population of 4.05 million. Boasting a history dating back to 6,000 years ago, it is said to be the place where the Baiyue Tribe once lived. It’s also been recognized as a significant hub in Southern China as it is surrounded by various bodies of water. Shenzhen has reportedly been named as the origin of salt. This fast-rising city is also famous for its perfumes.
Shenzhen’s climate remains pretty cool with the temperature varying from 22.4 to 1.4 degrees Celsius. This subtropical maritime climate may explain the abundance of seafood and fruits in the region – this city has earned a sweet reputation for its really sweet lychees. Clearly, there’s a lot more to Shenzhen than shopping (although shopping is always a good thing) and I was determined to see for myself.
It was a rainy late afternoon when we arrived in Shenzhen via Air Philippines. We were welcomed by our gracious tour guide John Chen from the China Travel Service of Overseas. Boarding a big bus, we were whisked off to Luohu Hotel, our home in Shenzhen for the next couple of days.
The sun had set, but our journey in Shenzhen had only just begun. After a sumptuous dinner, we immediately headed to our first stop – the night market. At 10 p.m., the market is bustling with activity. Locals and tourists alike swarm over the goods that are sold at tourist-friendly prices. There are lots of clothing stores, shoe stores, and bag shops all over the place. Then there’s also a huge Sun Plaza, which offers even more stuff for shopaholics. Personally though, it wasn’t really shopping that I enjoyed doing at the Shenzhen Night Market. Rather, it was the experience of exploring the place.
The place looks like it leaped out of a magazine. Recognizably Chinese-styled buildings stand tall amid the commercial ambience of the place. Walking down a long street filled with small shops and stalls is quite exhilarating. It really gets you to tune in to the shopping mode right away. It looks like Shenzhen never sleeps, too. For as the night wears on, more and more shoppers arrive and the stores are more than happy to entertain them. Food is also never a problem in this place as there are numerous food stalls that can be found everywhere. If you happen to crave some good ol’ fast food, the night market has got a KFC and a McDonald’s, which stay open all through the night.
After a night of shopping and food binging, we left our hotel quite early the following morning to go to the Shenzhen Xingyu Mineral Museum, where we were shown the fascinating moon stone. Off-white in color and resembling the moon, this rare, glowing stone is a sight to behold in the dark. Locally found in Shenzhen, it is said to be quite expensive. Aside from the moon stone, we also saw the Chinese favorite jade. The museum makes assorted stuff out of this stone, which they sell to visitors. These are pieces of jewelry, figurines, and charms. At the end of the tour, we were treated to some refreshing lychee tea, a caffeine-free and sugar-free herbal concoction that is reportedly good for the skin. Aside from lychee tea, the museum also sells teas for slimming and asthma.
It was raining when we left the museum, but that did not dampen our spirits, especially when we found out we were headed for the Lychee Farm. We stepped out of our bus into the pouring rain and made our way to an open field surrounded by lychee trees. The lychee tree is not so tall, making it easy to pick its sweet fruits. Shenzhen’s famed lychee is sweet, juicy, and has a relatively small seed. Here, you can just grab a basket to put your "harvest" in. Then, you can just start popping lychees into your mouth, one succulent fruit after another. Should you want to bring some home, they sell boxes in packs of five kilos that they’d pick right off the tree the moment an order is made.
Our afternoon continued to get better as we drove to the famous Window of the World, a theme park that houses a wide collection of miniatures of the world’s famous attractions, statues, and landmarks. A lot of visitors to Shenzhen swear that a visit to this city is not complete without going to this really vast park. As you arrive, a rather imposing 100-meter-tall Eiffel Tower miniature greets you at the park’s entrance. As you go in, you’ll find there are a lot of other things inside that would simply leave you in awe. They say a complete tour of Window of the World would take about two days. Nonetheless, I tried to see what I could in just one day. As we walked up the steps to the entrance gate, I was immediately greeted by some Thai carvings on the wall right beside some Greek pillars. At the sight of these, it suddenly occurred to me that it just might be possible to travel around the world not in 80 days but in 80 attractions.
And so, on I went to Europe, walking amid lush surroundings that provided a nice backdrop for the sights that stood before me. The first I spotted was the Buckingham Palace and it wasn’t long before I found myself beside the London Houses of Parliament. A walk further led me to St. Peter’s Basilica and then the impressive St. Mark’s Square in Venice. Then my eyes widened, nay, popped out, at the sight of the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral in France, standing beside the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa and church. From here, it was just a short walk towards the little Holland Village and France’s Saint Michel Abbey. Then I made my way towards the Alcazar Castle in Spain and the Stonehenge in England.
Walking towards the European Street, I paused to have a good look at the Eiffel Tower and two other monuments of French grandeur – the Arch of Triumph and the Fountain of Observatory. Indeed, I was having a surreal experience and loving every moment of it! Down the narrow, cobblestoned European Street, I also spotted the Acropolis of Athens and further down, Italy’s Colosseum. In this area is also a real church, which one can visit.
As I wrapped up my European tour, I found myself standing beside the Pyramids of Egypt and soon, The Great Temple of Abu Simbel. Shortly, I was off to North America, coming face to face with the White House, Niagara Falls, and Mount Rushmore. Soon though, it was back to Asia for me. I spotted Singapore’s Merlion resting by a small lake, as I passed by on my way to Burma to see the Shwedagon Pagoda. Then Cambodia’s Angkor Wat hove into view. A further walk down towards another lake led me to the Sydney Opera House. I would have wanted to see more, but alas, it was time to go. As I stepped out of the gates, I was back where I started – Shenzhen.
Our journey throughout the day worked up quite an appetite for all of us. Our gracious host Air Philippines treated us to dinner at the famous Grace Garden Restaurant. Joined by Philippine Embassy officials, we shared hearty banters and laughter over a traditional Chinese lauriat of suckling pig, Peking duck, steamed fish, stewed mushrooms with chicken, crispy prawns, sauteed Chinese vegetables, deep-fried spare ribs, and sauteed broccoli with goose meat. Quite a gargantuan meal that allowed us to recharge ourselves for another shopping trip that awaited us that night.
Shenzhen is a city filled with malls, catering to all kinds of needs and budgets. There are as many signature brands as there are cheaper ones, and the styles are always of the latest trends. Easily the favorites of shoppers are the King’s Plaza, Sun Plaza, and the Luohu Commercial City Mall. The latter is a five-storey commercial center that houses a wide variety of goods at incredibly cheap prices. What’s more, prices are not fixed so you can haggle with the store owners till kingdom come. But if you’re a non-mall-goer (though I doubt if there’s such a creature), there are always small markets scattered around Shenzhen, where you can find a good assortment of stuff.
It seems Shenzhen locals follow one daily routine: Shop, shop and shop! The days seem to fly when you’re having a good time. So little time and so much to see and shop and eat. Soon, we were winging our way back home aboard Air Philippines. Back home, I can still taste Shenzhen, truly a feast for the senses.
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