Fraser Place Shenzhen

How to obtain a China Visa

by Alain_Smeets

You can obtain a Visa for China in a lot of ways.

1) in your home country, this will be done via the Chinese embassy and it can take about one week before you get your passport back (my work arranged this one) and they need at least 2 photos.

2) In Hong Kong, you can ask your hotel to arrange you a Visa for China, but be aware this can be very expensive to obtain one in this way (60 to 120 US$ depending of the urgency, hey the hotels have to make money too) and they also need 2 photos.

3) At the Fu Yong Ferry terminal in Shenzhen, there is a small office outside the immigration hall where you can buy a Visa for China, this is only a single entry Visa and is only valid for one week. (100 HK$). No photo is needed.

4) When you go by train you will find at the China side just before the immigration a stairs that goes up and there is a small office where you can apply for a China Visa. Again this visa is only valid for one week and it’s a single entry. It takes about 10 minutes and you are on your way. Again no photo needed. It also costs you 100 HK$.

The last two are much cheaper then number 2. Be careful with option 3 and 4, some one pointed me out that this permit is only valid in the Shenzhen area.

There are maybe other ways to obtain a Visa for China, but these are the once that I used (except number 3).

book shopping, music, coffee and more

by zephyrgurl108 about book city (civic cultural center)

Book City as popularly called by locals (or Book Civic Cultural Center as written on their brochure) is a mall composed of bookstores, coffee shops, a big music store, art shops, a few restaurants, etc. It's located close to the Shenzhen Municipal Building and Children's Palace. Also nearby is the Lotus Hill Park. So plenty of options after shopping. What makes the place special is that there is one bookstore that entirely sell English books. Most bookstores in China only have a rack or two of English reading materials. There's also a Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Illy. The English bookstore is called Yingwen and is right across Illy Cafe on the Ground Floor. Books Book prices range from 30 to as much as RMB500. Mid price range from 90 to 100+

Sichuan food

by victorwkf

At Fuyong, Shenzhen and other towns in the vicinity, Sichuan food seems to be very popular and there are many Sichuan restaurants. Essentially, Sichuan food is from the Sichuan province of China (see my VT Sichuan Sheng page) and the food is usually very hot and spicy, to the extent of numbing your tongue! More photos are at the travelogue section of this VT page.

Splendid China - China Miniaturized

by SLLiew

Splendid China is a wonder view of all the famous sites of China scaled down 15:1.

It is easy to get there by public bus or MRT subway from Lowu, about 30 minutes ride. Taxi will be more expensive but convenient if you are in a group.

You can see the whole of China in one afternoon here. Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Temple of heaven, Three Gorges Dam, Potala Palace and the Terracotta Army.

Excellent photo opportunity. For senior citizens, it is free admission. Overseas Chinese can get same treatment, not sure if it applies to other foreign nationals. Otherwise, admission is pricey at 120 Yuan (including the ticket for China Folk Culture Villages). Open 9am-6pm and recommended duration time is 2 hours.

Third largest city in China

by m1nkey

"Shenzhen just inside China next to Hong Kong."

I stayed near a large shopping district in the Pavilion Hotel. Great rates and wonderful service. There were several other restuarants around and plenty places to shop. A McDonalds and KFC on every corner, literaly! Though I didn't eat at either, why travel 8000 miles and get a happy meal. The prices were great, silk pajamas for $30, food for two from $5 to $20 for a very nice restuarant. It was a little difficult to get around as most taxi drivers don't speak english. The buses came every 30 seconds but the routes could get you very lost very quick. I don't advise it. Most hotels will translate a destination for the taxi, and they are readily available. All I had to do was step to the curb and I had a ride.