Stepping into the PRC (People's Republic of China)

As one would leave the Special Administration Region (SAR) of Hong Kong and step foot into Mainland China, you might expect (atleast I would except) conditions to worsen with a higher prominence of poverty. However, as I crossed the river (and immigration) to China for my first time, the city of Shenzhen seemed to be as economically adept as that of a mini version of Hong Kong.

But first a little background on Shenzhen itself. With the Communist Party of China moving towards a market socialist society, the city of Shenzhen was utilized as on experimental basis for the Government to test out market capitalism. Shenzhen's geographical location is perfectly placed. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Western corporations have based manufacturing operations in the city. With cheap labor and being just miles away from one of the largest exporting cities (Hong Kong) in the world. Shenzhen has capitalized off its location and now boasts over 800 billion in GDP (ranking 4th for cities in China). Likely, many of the textilies, toys, and appliances you have at home have a good probability of being produced in Shenzhen.

However, the main attraction for the people of Hong Kong to visit this city is not the large GDP of exports or blocks of factories, it the cheap massages and knock off brand name apparal. With streets lined with markets full of electronics, cheap clothing, and knock off purses, its a shoppers paradise. While, I didn't indulge my inner shopper, I did experience my first full body massage.

For just $98 RMB ($HK 111 or $USD 15), tourists flock to Shenzhen for hour long massages. With such a cheap price, there was no way I could turn the offer down. While I don't have much to compare it too, the massage was very relaxing.

Shenzhen did differ drastically from Hong Kong in one aspect. Very few, if any people spoke English. Even the younger generation of the city seemed to understand few words of the English language. This is very different from Hong Kong, where the education system requires students to take a minimum number of years of English. So, if any of you are interesting in traveling here, please be aware of the language barrier. Luckily, I was with a classmate from Oregon, who is an american born chinese that is semi fluent in Mandarin.