Growing number of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority residents visit Shenzhen, beyond
Multiple-entry permit and easy checkpoint clearance draw more to the mainland to shop, eat and explore
On a day trip to Shenzhen with three friends, Pakistani-Hongkonger Riaz Ahmed Gujjar had a hair transplant treatment, dined at a halal restaurant and ordered two custom-made suits.
The 65-year-old businessman said Shenzhen’s proximity to Hong Kong, bargain prices and quality service had him going there on day trips nearly every week with family and friends.
“I used to travel to the mainland only for business, but now I head across the border for dining and shopping too,” he said.
Gujjar paid 1,350 yuan (US$184) for each suit from a tailor at a shopping centre next to the Luohu border. A made-to-measure suit would cost at least HK$3,000 in Hong Kong.
Gujjar, a Muslim, said Shenzhen offered more halal food choices, too. Lunch for four at a Xinjiang restaurant, with six dishes including mutton and naan, cost about 330 yuan – half the price in Hong Kong.
He decided to have a hair transplant at a private centre in Shenzhen at a friend’s recommendation, for a relatively low price of about 24,000 yuan. He had to undergo several treatments, and his visit there on Sunday last week was his fourth.
