Thousands of Hongkongers brave heavy rain for Shenzhen trip on day 2 of Easter

People at Coco Park shopping centre in Shenzhen.

Photo: Edmond So Thousands of Hongkongers braced for heavy rain as they crossed the border into Shenzhen on the second day of the Easter holiday, taking advantage of the break to enjoy a wider range of shopping, dining and entertainment options at bargain prices.

Many travellers on Saturday cited mainland China’s broader selection of shopping centres, restaurants and attractions as well as more affordable prices as key draws.

Immigration statistics on Saturday showed that 153,272 residents had departed Hong Kong as of 10am, including 103,576 who left via land border checkpoints with the mainland and another 20,444 through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

On Friday, 709,837 residents left Hong Kong, while the city welcomed 76,709 mainland visitors and 44,208 from other places.

Hongkonger Grace Chu and four other friends visited the Coco Park shopping centre in Shenzhen’s Futian district to watch the newly released movie 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.

People waiting at a restaurant at a Shenzhen shopping centre.

Photo: Edmond So 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 the goods,” she said.

Hong Kong residents get a five-day Easter holiday this year from F

原文链接: 南华早报