Shēnzhèn

History

Shēnzhèn was no more than a backwater until it won the equivalent of the National Lottery and became a SEZ in 1980. Developers added a stock market, hotels and towering office blocks and the world as Shēnzhèn knew it came to an abrupt end.

Nowadays Shēnzhèn is a big shopping mall for Hong Kong residents, much to the chagrin of the Special Administrative Region’s retailers. It’s also a good place for cheap (legitimate and otherwise) massage and yum cha.