While there are
surely better places in China to find yourself, a daytrip up to the
Shenzhen SEZ (Special Economic Zone) might be just the kind of
culture shock you're after.
Regarded as an ugly, business-oriented and souless kit town (sound
inviting yet?), Shenzhen is also increasingly geared towards
travellers from Hong Kong. Shenzhen City, just across an
always-crowded border point from Lo Wu in Hong Kong, is hardly a
great place to discover the beauty and culture that China is famous
for. But it is perhaps the perfect place to see China's emerging
embrace of the free market in action; HK shoppers often find the
bargains in Shenzhen that simply don't exist anymore in Hong Kong.
Wander the streets, grab a real Guangzhou meal, fob off the pimps,
check out the market stalls and bargain hard.