appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Ambrose Li

Wynna Wong

Hongkonger Dominique Li and his wife spent a two-day break earlier this month in Shenzhen to soak up the cultural vibe, a short getaway they said would not be their last.
The 45-year-old engineer, who lives in Tin Shui Wai in the northwestern New Territories, was particularly drawn to a new landmark, Shenzhen Bay Culture Square in Nanshan district.
He treated his visit to Shenzhen like a trip to Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay shopping district, which also takes about an hour.
“The spaces here are bigger and there’s more choice. If you want high-end consumption you can find it, but there are also lots of cafes and more relaxed places where people can just sit and spend time,” Li said at the Shenzhen cultural plaza.
“It feels like there are always new things opening, so it gives you a reason to come back again.”

The couple are among droves of Hongkongers drawn back to Shenzhen because of its new, convenient and more economical offerings. Experts warn that Hong Kong must leverage its international status and unique events to counter the mainland city’s booming, budget-friendly attractions – or risk losing ground.
The new landmark – a 20-minute walk from the Shenzhen Bay border checkpoint – is a sprawling complex combining futuristic, white indoor spaces with lush, green grounds. Visitors move between exhibition halls, cafes and design stores, with Cantonese heard as frequently as Mandarin.
Holiday exodus
Waves of Hong Kong residents leaving the city during long holidays were again evident during Easter and the Ching Ming Festival earlier this month.
The Easter holiday spanned five days, from April 3 to 7, compared with four last year because it overlapped with the three-day Ching Ming Festival from April 4 to 6.
For an apples-to-apples comparison, Hongkongers made 2.12 million passenger trips out of the city in the first four days of Easter, 14.3 per cent more than in the same period last year. Over the four days, mainland visitors made 411,972 passenger trips to Hong Kong, a 16.13 per cent increase.
“The two cities complement each other, like Tokyo and Yokohama in Japan,” Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said when asked if the continuous new offerings by Shenzhen were what drew Hongkongers back.
“In Hong Kong, pop concerts, New Year countdowns, Disneyland, and events like the Rugby Sevens at Kai Tak Sport Park will also be part of life for Shenzhen residents.”

He noted that the central government had designated Hong Kong as the “East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange”, so institutions and their events would need to cater not only to local audiences but also to those from overseas.
With a population of 20 million, Shenzhen already had sufficient demand to support its own arts and cultural industry, Chui said, meaning institutions and events there tended to be more locally focused.
“The very positioning [of Hong Kong as the international cultural exchange hub] could help prevent unnecessary competition or overlap of functions [between the two cities],” Chui said.
‘Very good value’
Shenzhen Bay Culture Square, designed by Beijing-based MAD Architects, opened last November and quickly became a popular attraction, as social media influencers rushed to post selfies from the site.
Its many photo spots, including a dimly lit tunnel illuminated by glowing walls, a central water feature and architectural elements defined by sweeping curves, make for postcard-like pictures.
Visitors have since flocked to the waterfront precinct, which has 180,800 square metres of gross floor area, including museum exhibition spaces, collection storage, theatres and auditoriums, as well as retail and dining outlets.
The complex has also drawn overseas visitors.
The Oh family of four, visiting from the United Kingdom, said they were in China taking advantage of the visa-free policy allowing stays of up to 30 days introduced in February this year.
They said they had spent several days in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and found the mainland city compared favourably in some respects.
“It feels quite similar in some ways, but the service here is a lot better,” said mother Yan, adding that they had enjoyed spa and nail treatments as well as shopping, describing the overall experience as “very good value”.

The family said they had initially expected Shenzhen to feel more traditional, but were surprised by the range of modern attractions and would consider returning.
Australian influencers Archimarathon, comprising two architects, were impressed by the speed of infrastructure development, saying it took almost a year to obtain planning permits in their own country.
A video the pair made in January analysing the architecture of Shenzhen Bay Culture Plaza has been viewed 1.5 million times.
The complex is part of a broader push by Shenzhen to expand its cultural infrastructure since 2018, with 10 major facilities planned across the city.

Some, including the new Shenzhen Art Museum and Shenzhen Library North, opened in 2023, while construction of the Shenzhen Opera House, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, began last year.
More are in the pipeline, including two privately funded museums backed by tech giants Tencent and JD.com, both slated to open in 2027.
Other relatively new landmarks in Shenzhen include Gangxia North subway station in Futian – known as the Eye of Shenzhen – the Zhongshuge bookshop with spiral bookshelves in Bao’an district, and the 4km-long red bridge in Hongqiao Park in Guangming district.
Can Hong Kong compete?
Hong Kong has also been investing in cultural infrastructure to boost tourism, with a mix of museums, performance venues and large-scale event spaces.
A focal point is the West Kowloon Cultural District, where the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which concentrates on Chinese artefacts, opened in 2023, and contemporary art museum M+ in 2022. The WestK Performing Arts Centre is scheduled for completion this year.
Elsewhere, the East Kowloon Cultural Centre opened last September, offering a range of venues, while the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium has hosted concerts by acts such as Blackpink and Coldplay since opening last year.
Plans are also under way for Hong Kong’s first private “Broadway-calibre” theatre in Central, led by developer Henderson Land.
Not all initiatives have maintained momentum.
The reopening of the border town of Sha Tau Kok in June 2022 drew an initial surge in visitors, with group numbers peaking at more than 61,000 in 2024 before falling to about 33,000 last year, according to government figures.
Individual visits, introduced in 2024, totalled about 88,000 that year and slipped slightly to 83,000 in 2025, with locals accounting for 75 per cent of visitors.
Walk in Hong Kong co-founder and chief executive Paul Chan Chi-yuen said the decline was understandable as the novelty of the restricted area wore off.
“It’s enough for many to visit once, not many will head back,” Chan said, adding that the area could be packaged with island-hopping and destinations such as Lai Chi Wo or nearby hiking trails.
The application of permits was also a barrier for visitors as they might prefer more flexibility in their itinerary, he said, adding Hong Kong should focus on the quality of goods and services to maintain its competitive edge over rivals such as Shenzhen.

Simon Lee Siu-po, a finance lecturer at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, said Hong Kong should focus on attracting high-spending international visitors rather than just boosting tourist numbers.
“Hong Kong still has a competitive edge as an international city. There are not as many international flights to Shenzhen. It’s OK if a fraction of these visitors come via us to Shenzhen, but at least the majority are still coming to Hong Kong,” Lee said.
While offerings at institutions such as M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum were of high quality, many of their exhibits were borrowed, lowering the bar for other museums to catch up, he said.
A significant portion of exhibits at the Hong Kong Palace Museum are on rotation from its counterpart in Beijing, while overseas institutions such as the Palace of Versailles in France and the UK’s National Gallery have also brought collections to the city.
“If we go down this route to differentiate ourselves [from counterparts in Shenzhen], the costs could be very high, as with all things in Hong Kong … I have some reservations,” Lee said, highlighting low costs on the mainland and the support from casinos in Macau.
Hong Kong could be at a disadvantage if Shenzhen and Macau upped their game, he warned, stressing the need for long-running attractions that encouraged visitors to stay and spend. It could also take decades to build up a strong base of local artists and industry practitioners, he said.
For now, people still notice a difference in cultural offerings.
A Hong Kong couple, who gave their name as the Cheungs, said M+ and the Palace Museum were often “too crowded”.

The new Shenzhen complex was spacious and more leisurely to visit, Ms Cheung said, while Hong Kong museums “felt more upscale, while here it’s more casual”.
She said she often visited Shenzhen for food and services such as spas.
“I usually come up to eat and get a massage. There are some restaurants here that I really like, so I come back quite often,” she said. “It’s more like a short escape, even just for an afternoon, you can come up, have a meal and relax before heading back.”
She added that Shenzhen would not replace Hong Kong.
“They’re just different … Hong Kong is more for everyday life, while here feels more like a quick getaway.”
New local offerings in the pipeline
A spokesman for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said Hong Kong continued to invest in both public and private cultural facilities.
He noted that Hong Kong Disneyland Resort was planning new Pixar- and Marvel-themed areas, which the park called “major expansion projects” in September last year. Ocean Park is set to open a new “Adventure Zone” in 2028 that features zip lines and bungee jumps.
Government projects in the pipeline include the Chinese Culture Experience Centre, a multipurpose professional performance venue in the New Territories, and a museum in Kwu Tung North showcasing the country’s development and achievements.
“While infrastructure and facilities provide the necessary venues for staging cultural programmes, it is the quality and uniqueness of the cultural offerings that determine a city’s appeal,” the spokesman said.
He added that the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, organised by the government, had attracted an increasing number of overseas attendees, rising from 15 per cent in the first two editions to 25 per cent in the latest, among a total audience of 2 million over three years.
Commercial annual cultural affairs, from pop culture festival ComplexCon to contemporary art fairs such as Art Basel, have also consistently brought in high-spending visitors from around the world.
The government has allocated HK$1.66 billion (US$212 million) to the Hong Kong Tourism Board to scale up flagship events – including sporting occasions – extend their durations and introduce new themed light festivals.
For many Hong Kong residents, Shenzhen’s appeal lies not in replacing the city’s institutions, but in offering a more relaxed, accessible alternative that makes repeat visits easy.
“Hong Kong felt a bit quiet over the holidays, and we’ve noticed there are more places here with a stronger cultural atmosphere, so we wanted to come explore,” engineer Li said.


Hong Kong’s IOMed poised to play key role in resolving Greater Bay Area disputes

3,800 Hong Kong food outlets offering up to 30% off to celebrate National Day

Hong Kong exports surge 53% to HK$667.9 billion, second highest on record

Hong Kong vows safe Apec meeting with plans for terror and cyberattack threats

Hong Kong economy

Value, space and style pull Hongkongers to Shenzhen’s new cultural hotspots

Illustration: Henry Wong 

A visitor takes in the “Design100: Design People Life” exhibition at Shenzhen Bay Culture Square. Photo: Sun Yeung

Shenzhen Bay Culture Square opened last November. Photo: Sun Yeung

The Oh family spent several days in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Photo: Sun Yeung

Jingtian Coffee Street in Shenzhen is a popular spot for relaxing. Photo: Sun Yeung

The M+ museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum (background) in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Photo: Jelly Tse

The Cheungs say Shenzhen Bay Culture Square is spacious.  Photo: Sun Yeung

Hong Kong tourists choose safety, affordability with trips to mainland China

Crowds at the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus on Friday. Photo: Jelly Tse

Timothy Chui says that if the Middle East remains unstable, more Hongkongers will opt for farther destinations on the mainland. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hongkonger Jonnie Wong said she only recently decided to travel to Wuhan with a group of more than a dozen friends for a five-day trip over the Easter holiday. Photo: Jelly Tse

Mainland Chinese to make 980,000 inbound trips to Hong Kong for Labour Day break

Tourists arrive in Hong Kong via the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus. Photo: May Tse

Chief Secretary Eric Chan has said the government will closely coordinate with the travel sector and relevant organisations to ensure smooth operations during the holiday. Photo: Sun Yeung

Hong Kong Tourism Board invited 1,730 influencers with 1.6 billion followers in 2 years

TikTok star Khaby Lame was among those who visited Hong Kong as part of the promotion push. Photo: AP

American YouTuber duo Stokes Twins visit Hong Kong Disneyland as part of their travel vlog. Photo: YouTube/Strokes Twin

Senegalese-Italian TikTok influencer Lame tries out the dragon dance in Tai Hang. Photo: Facebook/Discover HK

Art Basel Hong Kong, other events drive 14% year-on-year rise in March tourist arrivals

Crowds of visitors at Art Basel Hong Kong in late March. Photo: Dickson Lee

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Economy

Short cross‑border getaways emerging as the ‘quick escape’ of choice, with the newly opened Shenzhen Bay Culture Square adding to appeal


Short cross‑border getaways emerging as the ‘quick escape’ of choice, with the newly opened Shenzhen Bay Culture Square adding to appeal.


Value, space and style pull Hongkongers to Shenzhen’s new cultural hotspots

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Short cross‑border getaways emerging as the ‘quick escape’ of choice, with the newly opened Shenzhen Bay Culture Square adding to appeal

Short cross‑border getaways emerging as the ‘quick escape’ of choice, with the newly opened Shenzhen Bay Culture Square adding to appeal