Hongkongers crossing border for Easter break wowed by new Shenzhen tech museum

Hongkongers crossed the border into Shenzhen in droves on the second day of the Easter holiday on Saturday, drawn by a wider range of bargain-priced shopping, dining and entertainment options, as well as new landmark attractions including a futuristic tech museum. While bracing for heavy rain, many travellers cited mainland China’s broader selection of shopping centres and restaurants, along with more affordable prices as key draws. Some also said neighbouring Shenzhen boasted fresh cultural and leisure complexes rarely found in Hong Kong. Immigration statistics on Saturday showed that 532,023 residents had departed Hong Kong as of 9pm, including 405,805 who left via land border checkpoints with the mainland and another 65,518 by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Among popular spots is the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum, a new futuristic landmark in Guangming district that opened in May last year. Tennis coach Patrick Lam Chun-pan, 40, and his wife took their two daughters, aged nine and eight, to the spaceship-shaped museum, which has a total floor area of about 128,300 square metres. Lam said he learned about the newest tech landmark from mainland social media platform RedNote and decided to bring his two girls to learn and gain knowledge. He added that his daughters were fascinated by robotic dogs on display. “This museum is magnificent,” he said. “We spent 2½ hours inside, but we still did not cover all the things on display. We will be back again.” He added: “Shenzhen is not only good for shopping and dining, but also offers a diversity of other attractions.” Housewife Teresa Lau also took her parents and her 12-year-old daughter, a Form One pupil, to the museum to learn about the country’s technology developments, which was one stop during their two-day trip to Shenzhen. “I often took my daughter across the border to visit various museums to broaden her horizons,” she said, adding that they had also been to the Shenzhen Museum before. Hongkongers also flocked to popular shopping centres for food and bargains. Grace Chu and four other friends visited the Coco Park shopping centre in Shenzhen’s Futian district to watch the newly released film Game of Identity and for a taste of good food. The 32-year-old bank employee said they crossed the border to watch the movie that was not screened in Hong Kong, while Shenzhen also offered dining options such as hotpot at lower prices, adding that they preferred trying eateries only found on the mainland. Chu also said they enjoyed massage services in Shenzhen the day before. “We took advantage of the Easter break to enjoy the new movie and a wide range of dining choices here in Shenzhen,” she said. Also at the shopping centre, clerk Alice Lo, 42, and her six-year-old daughter were shopping for merchandise of animated musical urban fantasy film KPop Demon Hunters at a pop-up store. Lo said she took her daughter on a three-day trip to Shenzhen, along with her sister, brother-in-law and their two children. She said she was impressed by the city’s various malls, bookstores and restaurants, and tried different types of food, such as burgers and Korean barbecues as well as bubble teas. “Shenzhen is close and convenient, offering things that we do not have in Hong Kong,” she said. Yana Yan Chi, a staff member working at the pop-up store, said the number of Hongkongers more than doubled on the first day of the Easter break on Friday to about 100. “There is a sharp increase in people from Hong Kong coming here to shop for goods,” she said. Hong Kong residents get a five-day Easter holiday this year from Friday, as the break coincides with the Ching Ming Festival, which falls on Sunday. On Friday, 709,837 residents left Hong Kong, while the city welcomed 76,709 mainland visitors and 44,208 from elsewhere. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui told a radio show that she expected some mainland visitors in the city during their three-day Ching Ming Festival break between Saturday and Monday. She also said the city expected 1 million visitors during the “golden week” holiday between May 1 and 5, including those from around 800 tour groups. Citing observations from the hotel industry, she said it expected the occupancy rate during the golden week holiday to reach more than 90 per cent on average. Law added that geopolitical tensions underscored Hong Kong as a safe, fun and convenient destination, while the war in the Middle East had not affected long-haul arrivals in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s visitor numbers rose by 17 per cent to 14.31 million in the first three months of the year.

Hongkongers crossing border for Easter break wowed by new Shenzhen tech museum

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Immigration statistics show 532,023 residents departed Hong Kong as of 9pm

Immigration statistics show 532,023 residents departed Hong Kong as of 9pm