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Andrew Sun

A few weeks ago, I went up to Shenzhen from Hong Kong for the first time in a long time – it was probably five years since my last visit, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The reason was to attend a conference at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center in Futian, in the heart of Shenzhen.
A lot has changed in the southern Chinese city – glittering new towers house modern offices and luxury hotels.
It would be a marvel of urban planning except for the flaws I spotted, such as what I view as shoddy workmanship and lack of attention to detail – visible in pedestrian passages with uneven steps.

Admittedly, I’m not one of those people who go north every weekend to eat, and shop at Costco and Sam’s Club.
I hate to admit it, but for the longest time I still had the perception that Shenzhen was only good for cheap designer knock-offs and foot massages. But they’ve certainly come a long way from the days of fake designer bags and pirate DVDs.
I remember people warning me that literally everything there was counterfeit, including the food. This was when the news was full of horror stories like ink added to soy sauce, starch put into diluted milk, plastic pellets passing as rice, and rodent and mink meat substituted for pork and mutton.
Was this why people from the Chinese mainland always came to Hong Kong to buy authentic cosmetics, quality dried seafood and baby milk formula? They trusted Hong Kong’s consumer protection regulations.
Well, the standards in Shenzhen have risen. Food safety and health guidelines seem on par with Hong Kong’s now.

The green initiatives look to be more progressive than Hong Kong’s stumbling policies. Whatever safety concerns I previously had are gone.
At the same time, everything still costs less. On the last night of the conference, my partner and I checked out a bistro close to the Convention Centre. It had a tacky faux European decor, but there were lots of alfresco tables.
In terms of food, everything was well prepared and presented, tasty and delicious. We dined on a crab appetiser, some satay skewers, Iberico pork ribs and a roast duck.
In Hong Kong, that meal would have cost HK$1,000 (US$130). The bill in Shenzhen was just over 400 yuan (HK$440).

Actually, it was more food than we needed. We expected the duck to be a quarter portion of a leg or a breast because the menu listed it as just 108 yuan. What arrived was an entire roast duck.
How can you blame anyone for crossing the border to stretch their dollar? No wonder Hong Kong’s restaurant industry is struggling so badly.
Earlier in the day, our noodle set lunches in a mall food court cost between 25 and 30 yuan. In Hong Kong’s Central neighbourhood, that’s the typical price of a lemon tea.
This kind of imbalance is difficult to overcome. Either inflation in Shenzhen has to go up or the cost of living in Hong Kong goes way down. For economists, neither is a good option.
The only comparable situation I can think of is the US-Mexico border. Thousands of Americans cross over into Mexico for certain services and goods.

American border cities like San Diego aren’t economically threatened by cheaper tequila and affordable dental care. However, if Tijuana, which borders San Diego, grew to double the latter’s size and became a global tech and trade hub, while housing remained half the price of that in the American city, then it might be an issue.
I really don’t know what the long-term solution is for Hong Kong, but this is the new reality. If we can’t beat them, join them?


Your Hong Kong weekend food guide: where to eat from November 8-10

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Why are Hong Kong people eating dinner so early now? Restaurants are dead by 9pm

Jollibee parent fully acquires Hong Kong’s Michelin-rated Tim Ho Wan dim sum chain

Food and Drinks

No wonder Shenzhen is drawing diners and shoppers from Hong Kong – it is close by, clean and food is much cheaper

A food vendor in a Shenzhen shopping mall. Hong Kong bars and restaurants are suffering as large numbers of Hong Kong people head to the southern Chinese city to enjoy food that costs much less than at home. Photo: Shutterstock

People queue to enter the Shenzhen branch of Costco in January, 2024. Photo Getty Images

A shopper at Sam’s Club in Shenzhen, in January, 2024. Photo: Eugene Lee

Duck can be found for much less at Shenzhen restaurants than at their Hong Kong counterparts. Photo: Getty Images

Plaza Santa Cecilia, a historic square in the heart of Tijuana, Mexico – a city that borders San Diego, and where many Americans go each year for perks like cheaper dental care. Photo: Shutterstock

Alcohol is bad for you in any quantity, new study says. How are we to know what health advice to believe any more?

New research suggests all alcohol is harmful when consumed in any amount, contradicting other health advice that red wine can help reduce cardiovascular risks and coronary diseases. Photo: AFP

Red wines include the grape skins as part of the winemaking process, which apparently gave them health-enhancing antioxidants. But does that make them good for us? Who knows any more, Andrew Sun says. Photo: AFP

All alcohol leads to increased cancer risk, according to the new study. Photo: AFP

A Hong Kong government notice says drinking alcohol causes cancer. Photo: Department of Health

Hong Kong’s shift in fortunes, from Easter to the Rugby Sevens, shows why the city must appeal more to Western tourists

Rugby fans in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai neighbourhood on the eve of the 2024 Rugby Sevens. After a grim Easter the week before, the sporting event provided relief for bars and restaurants, and highlighted why the city’s tourism strategy must change. Photo: May Tse

Travellers wait to cross the border at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which connects mainland China and Hong Kong, on the first day of the 2024 Easter holidays. Photo: Edmond So

Wan Chai’s bars come alive as locals and visitors gather on the eve of the 2024 Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. Photo: May Tse

Visitors at 2024 Art Basel Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Lee

People shopping at high-end Hong Kong mall Langham Place during the Easter holidays. Photo: Sam Tsang

How Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town failed as a hip dining hub, and why it’s a damning metaphor for ‘Asia’s World City’

The now-closed K Town Bar and Grill epitomised Kennedy Town’s bid to become Hong Kong’s next hip dining hub. But 10 years after the neighbourhood’s MTR station opened, that goal remains unrealised. Photo: Edward Wong

The interior of the now-closed Missy Ho’s in Kennedy Town, a Japanese izakaya-style restaurant.

Philippe Orrico outside his now-closed Kennedy Town restaurant Picnic on Forbes. Photo: Edward Wong

The interior of Picnic on Forbes. Photo: Edward Wong

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Shenzhen, once known for fake designer bags and mystery meat, has come far in recent years and now has good food hygiene. It’s much cheaper than Hong Kong, too
It’s no surprise Hong Kong residents flock there, causing restaurants at home to miss out. The price imbalance doesn’t look like ending any time soon


Hong Kong residents are flocking to Shenzhen, southern China, en masse to enjoy food that is much more affordable than at home. Hong Kong bars and restaurants are suffering as a result.


Greater Bay Area

Greater Bay Area: Travel & Lifestyle

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Mouthing Off

Mouthing Off | No wonder Shenzhen is drawing diners and shoppers from Hong Kong – it is close by, clean and food is much cheaper