How much money for holiday in Shenzen?

[Ink15]

Hi

I'm thinking about going to Shenzen for a 2-week holiday.

It will be £500 for the flights.

What will I need for cheap food, a cheap hotel and some entertainment money? Would I get away with just £500 for the whole 2 weeks?

Thanks

[roddy]

Factor in getting bored on Day 2 and taking flights to somewhere else. Seriously, 2 weeks in Shenzhen is ridiculous. Tell us how much money you want to spend and we'll construct a better itinerary.

[ouyangjun]

Agreed with Roddy. 2 weeks in Shenzhen is a lot, unless of course you have local friends who live in Shenzhen, then that is a different story. If you're dead set on Shenzhen I'd plan on getting out to some nearby places, Zhuhai is great and can easily take a cheap bus there. Off the coast of Zhuhai you have a bunch of islands, these can be a really good time as well. I have a good friend in Dongguan and we've done the Zhuhai + islands off of Zhuhai before, pretty good time.

If not dead set on Shenzhen, I'd look at maybe Shanghai as your hub. Can easily take a train to Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing, and can even take the high speed train to Beijing (only ~5 hours) from Shanghai.

If you're willing to take flights once in China, then the opportunities are endless. Look into the Spring Airlines website. They are a budget local airline and you can get tickets cheap. I got round trip tickets from Shanghai to Qingdao for about 200RMB one year.

[Ink15]

My total budget is £1500, but £500 of that is for the flights.

So I have £1000 for hotel and entertainment. That's about 10,000 RMB right? Is that enough for two weeks?

Thanks

[icebear]

I lived in SZ for a year and wouldn't recommend it, at all, for tourism. It has a few interesting things to see and do, all of which could be done in a day or so. Besides that its like nearly every other 1.5 tier Chinese city, but with a nice winter climate. There are many other places in China that are more worthwhile from a history/natural environment/urban perspective.

If you are locked into two weeks in SZ I'd plan on doing a lot of bar hopping and clubbing. Picking up attractive, wealthy girls is probably much easier there than where you are from; I have a few friends that came for similar period of time and had a blast for that reason.

10,000 RMB should be fine. Look into an economy style hotel like the 7 Days (or hostels with private rooms, if they have them now) to enjoy more time with your companions.

EDIT: Use the website Shenzhen Stuff or Shenzhen Party to find some happy hours, parties, etc while you are there. Plenty of day-time activities posted there too, like sports partners, splitting vans to nearby beaches, etc. Again, frequented by (relatively) wealthy, attractive Chinese females.

[Ink15]

My Mandarin Chinese currently sucks, I can't carry off anything more than a very basic conversation. And my mates speak no Mandarin at all. How are we going to pick up girls without being able to fluently speak any Chinese ?

What's the night scene in SZ like anyway? Could I pick up a different girl every night? :P

Yeah I know being confined to SZ might kinda suck, but I want to see as much of the city as possible as I plan on emigrating to Hong Kong for work later next year.

[icebear]

Inability to speak Chinese is not a deal breaker. I haven't been to SZ in years, check those websites I suggested for what bars are happening these days.

[putonghua73]

I'd seriously consider the advice above. Shenzhen is not a 2 week destination - hell, 2 days was more than enough for me (visiting friends) back in 2009. I went to Window of the World, which is a miniature exhibition of famous sites (the Chinese ones were excellent) and at night, went to the large bar / club district with my Chinese friend and his friend. Can't say I remember much as we were playing Liar's Dice, drinking and flirting with the waiting staff. I only remember one girl who was decent. By that point, I just about knew where I was. Hangover was ferocious!

Hong Kong has so much more to recommend that Shenzhen. If you want to experience getting out and about and exploring beautiful scenery either hiking or via a mountain bike, head over to Yangshuo in Guangxi. Overnight bus from Shenzhen. Yeah, West Street is touristy and you'll become tired of all the mainland tourists yelling "Hello!" as their bamboo raft goes past. Borrow a bike, and within 10 minutes you've left West Street behind and are riding along a road next to some of the most stunning natural scenery you've ever seen - beautiful karst peaks, lush fields, etc. This was back in 2007, so not sure how much construction and development has occurred since I was last there. Still one of the most beautiful places I have visited. And I missed visiting the Dragon's Backbone rice terraces.

In terms of Chinese women in clubs, being Caucasian and Western trumps speaking Chinese. Besides, you'll won't be able to hear yourself speak over the music. The whole scene got old for me after 15 minutes.

Oh. Hong Kong is London on steroids in terms of making friends and meeting people. Picking up people [women]? Brutal.

Word of advice: if you do emigrate next year, don't become one of those expats who solely frequents bars / clubs, then bitches about Chinese women only be interested in one's wallet. I remember watching Paul Merton's China documentary a coule of years back, interviewing a couple of expats in Shenzhen. Notable because of their total inability (despite living there for a coulple of years) to meet anyone other than party girls, then bitched (on camera) that Chinese women were only interested in your wallet. Paul Merton's [female] interpreter expression told you exactly what she thought about them and the kind of women with whom they frequented.

[Ink15]

I don't understand, brutal? Does that mean easy or difficult?

I watched that documentary a long time ago. Thanks for the great advice. I must say though, my experience of Chinese women here in the UK is that they are very materialistic! I remember one Chinese girl I had just met outright asking me whether or not I owned a car and an apartment. They don't even try to hide the fact!

[icebear]

I don't understand, brutal? Does that mean easy or difficult?

I think he is implying that picking up a girl in HK can be very difficult. I don't have experience there, but it goes with what I've heard from others.

General experience indicates that most foreigners find it much easier in China than in their home country, for several possible reasons (exotic/different/rich/confident foreigner being the most common).

[putonghua73]

Check out these posts by Shanghaikai on his observations on dating and the Chinese [shanghai] night-club scene: here and here. Pure gold, and solid advice for when you get to Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

For any affidavit, I've been to Hong Kong 3 times either for a week or a couple of days - all en route to China. I haven't worked there or lived there, although I have quite a lot of friends / acquaintances from my Chinese social group who are either native HKers, lived / worked in HK. The common theme is that making friends and getting to know people is brutually difficult. Dating, even more so. Hence, my comment that HK is London on sterioids.

When you do arrive in HK next year, check out meetup.com to meet new people based upon an interest. I regularly go to a Chinese social meetup here in London, and know a really good bunch (most around mid - late 20s, with a few in the 30s / 40s or older).

Chinese (Asians in general) have a reputation for being materialistic e.g. LV bags, Burberry [Japanese]. However, if you can spot the signs with British women, then you can do the same for Chinese. Environment plays a large part because there are plenty of Chinese women who never step foot in a club. That said, you'll still be assessed whomever you meet.

Enjoy your trip. Seriously, read Roddy's advice because you will be bored on Day 2 in Shenzhen (once the hangover wears off). Club and party during the weekends, and travel and explore during the week.