At 0:00 on 6 February 2023, the Mainland and Hong Kong ushered in the full resumption of customs clearance after three years of the epidemic, and the arrangement of pre-arranged customs clearance through the Guangdong-Hong Kong land ports was cancelled, and there was no quota for customs clearance. With the full reopening of customs comes the continuous recovery of the economy and people's livelihood, as well as the comprehensive recovery of the tourism consumption market. Against this backdrop, Shenzhen and Hong Kong are becoming increasingly connected.
In the past year, in order to attract Hong Kong people to consume, Shenzhen has also made great efforts in transportation, payment methods, preferential measures and other aspects, so that the benefits and benefits can be implemented and Hong Kong people go north.
Today, behind the reverse purchasing and Hong Kong people's consumption boom in the north, there is the "two-way rush" between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
On Christmas Day, December 25, many Hong Kong families took advantage of the holiday to travel north to spend the festive season, and the subway station was crowded.
Hong Kong people go north to consume: not only cheap, but also "fair"
After the epidemic was cleared, a large number of Hong Kong people poured into Shenzhen for consumption, and "Shenzhen has been occupied by Hong Kong people on weekends" has become a hot topic in many Hong Kong. From the initial customs clearance just to have a supper barbecue in Shenzhen, to the rise of a little milk tea, KUMO KUMO and other purchasing agents, the parallel traders of the year have turned into "reverse purchasing agents" from Shenzhen to Hong Kong.
The one-time purchasing income is about the same as the price of 5 pairs of 1,000-yuan shoes carefully selected from Hong Kong.
Since July, this northbound consumption tide has become more popular. The shopping malls along the major ports in Shenzhen are surrounded by Hong Kong people, the vicinity of the Convention and Exhibition Center near Futian Port, the vicinity of Luohu International Trade and Dongmen with various dining options, and the MixC and Coastal City in Nanshan District and Yifang City Shopping Center in Bao'an District are all Hong Kong people's choices. Sam's, Costco and other large supermarkets brought sweeping shopping experience can not escape the eyes of Hong Kong people, many people go north two or three times a week to buy groceries and stock up, not only can buy, buy, buy, but also eat, drink and play, the experience is full.
Sam's Supermarket has become a favorite of Hong Kong people
Why Shenzhen? Because of efficiency, of course. Of course, because it is cheap and good, you can buy novelty and experience. 1000 yuan is only the price of a serious dinner in Hong Kong, but in Shenzhen, you can enjoy massage + dinner + N cups of hand-made lemon tea, and then save some and even include the cost of the hotel, the cost of a family is equivalent to the cost of a person in Hong Kong. In addition, the catering and leisure services industry provide more intimate emotional services than Hong Kong-style services, as well as the continuous introduction of new and innovative products, which have firmly grasped the consumption needs of Hong Kong people.
In addition to the food and shopping experience, Hong Kong people also enjoy a variety of other consumption services in Shenzhen. Families with pets can choose from up to 11 pet parks in Shenzhen. Sports lovers can book all kinds of large sports venues with one click, and in winter, they can go to the two major ski resorts to practice Xi. The Hofman Rubber Duck was exhibited around Hong Kong in June this year, and it also swam into Shenzhen Bay on December 20 and will be on display until January 20 next year, so that Hong Kong people can continue to watch it in the north. In addition, the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Golden Week, Shenzhen Intangible Cultural Heritage Iron Flower, Shenzhen Food Expo, and Futian Citywalk check-in route have also won the love of many Hong Kong people.
Shenzhen stimulates consumption: faster transportation and more convenient payment
In order to meet the consumption needs of Hong Kong people, Shenzhen has introduced a number of preferential and convenient measures in the past year, such as faster transportation, more convenient payment, and policy environment, so as to enhance the satisfaction of Hong Kong people in going north and effectively protect the rights and interests of consumers.
Shenzhen has become the fourth city in China to jump over 9 million passengers after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
In terms of transportation, three free bus shuttle lines have been added to Shenzhen Futian Port to facilitate Hong Kong people to go directly to the eight shopping malls. Liantang Port will open a special bus line again, passing through Liantang Hema Xiansheng, China Resources Vanguard and other supermarket scenic spots. The new cross-boundary bus route between Shenzhen Bay Port and Zhuhai/Macao Artificial Island Port via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has been launched, with the fastest time taking only 75 minutes. Two free shuttle buses from Futian Port to Longhua District have been opened, which will go directly to Shenzhen's largest shopping mall, stopping at Sam's Supermarket and the soon-to-open Costco.
The free special line directly to the popular business district and Sam's Supermarket Luohu Port is divided into three special routes: business district, food and jewelry, and you can get off by pressing the bell along the way.
In addition, the main line of the 24-kilometer-long Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor has been fully completed. After the opening of traffic, Zhongshan to Shenzhen can be directly across the river, and the driving time is shortened to half an hour. The second phase of Shenzhen Metro Line 8, known as the Shanhai Special Train, was also opened on December 27, which can be directly reached from Liantang Port to Dameisha, which is known as the Oriental Hawaii, and Hong Kong people can easily enjoy the sun and beach by taking the subway in the north. During the Christmas and New Year holidays, Shenzhen Railway plans to open the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link from 22 December, with 22 additional round-trip trains per day to meet the travel needs of passengers and facilitate the travel between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
The main line of the 24-kilometer-long Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor is fully connected, and the driving time from Zhongshan to Shenzhen will be shortened to half an hour after its opening.
In terms of consumer payment, WeChat Pay has supported binding of overseas credit cards, and transactions below 200 yuan can be exempted from handling fees. In August, the Nanshan District Government of Shenzhen launched tourism consumption vouchers totalling RMB9 million, with Hong Kong residents enjoying up to half price discounts upon collection at designated websites. Qianhai distributed 20 million yuan of consumption vouchers, and Hong Kong people also participated in receiving them. During the National Day Golden Week, Shenzhen issued 21 measures to promote consumption to encourage Hong Kong people to go north to consume. In order to protect the consumer rights and interests of Hong Kong people, Shenzhen has also opened a Cantonese complaint hotline 966315. In addition, the Shenzhen Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports has also launched a travel guidebook to draw up exclusive food, drink and entertainment strategies for Hong Kong people, which will be distributed free of charge at the five major ports.
Behind the free northbound consumption at 5 major ports: the "two-way rush" between Hong Kong and Shenzhen
According to the statistics on consumption expenditure of Hong Kong people travelling north released by the Census and Statistics Department in November 2015, the average expenditure of Hong Kong people travelling to Guangdong Province (excluding transportation service charges) in 2014 was $680, and the average per capita expenditure on travelling north to the mainland was $860.
In July 2023 alone, more than 4.68 million Hong Kong people will go north, with an average of about 150,000 people going north every day, with a consumption amount of nearly 4 billion yuan. Based on the passenger capacity of 2,845 passengers on the East Rail Line's 9-car train, it is equivalent to 52 9-truck trains for Hong Kong people who go north every day. On July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the number was as high as 283,000. In October, the number of Hong Kong people heading north hit a new monthly high, reaching 5.35 million, and the number of people recorded every weekend exceeded 200,000.
The passenger flow of various ports in Shenzhen continues to operate at a high level.
Since the full resumption of customs clearance on February 6, as of 2:30 p.m. on September 9, the total number of people entering and exiting the Shenzhen Exit and Entry Border Inspection Station has exceeded 100 million, with a daily average of about 400,000 people. Hong Kong and Macao residents accounted for about 62.3% of the total number of people entering and leaving the country, and it has become the new normal for Hong Kong and Macao residents to travel in both directions with the mainland.
Looking back on the three years of the epidemic, it is the virus that has been closed and isolated, and what has been continuous is the exchange and connection between Shenzhen and Hong Kong under the cultural background of Lingnan. Today, whether it is going north or south, the consumption circle in the Greater Bay Area has taken shape. Behind the reverse purchasing and the consumption boom of Hong Kong people going north, there is a "two-way rush" between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It is believed that in an open and inclusive environment, Hong Kong and Shenzhen can exchange and learn from each other's challenges and opportunities in the future, and jointly promote the prosperity and development of the Greater Bay Area.