Some great cities can overwhelm you with centuries of architecture and culture, but Shenzhen in China offers something entirely different: a chance to experience a land in transformation.
When the Chinese government declared the city as the country’s first Special Economic Zone in 1980, farmlands gave way to industrial corridors as companies including national behemoths Huawei and Tencent – both founded in the city – thrived under the favourable economic conditions.
Arriving in Shenzhen
The shedding of rural origins is visible from the air, as my Emirates flight descends towards the southern Chinese city – completing a near-eight-hour journey from Dubai across the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent and mainland Southeast Asia.
The approach into Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport reveals a city of planned zones, punctuated by green spaces such as the expansive Lianhuashan Park and Shenzhen Bay Park. Along the southern edge are the deep blue waters of the South China Sea stretching towards Hong Kong and Macau.
The airport itself, which is reportedly set to add a third runway this year, is understated. Clearing customs is relatively swift, and within half an hour of landing, I’m moving through a grand hall filled with filtered natural light. The terminal is wide, open – said to resemble a manta ray – and free of extravagant displays.
It provides an early glimpse of a city built for functionality and logistics rather than spectacle.
The 40-minute drive down the coastal Guangshen Expressway towards the city centre reveals more of the evolution. Land once made up of ricefields and marshes – threaded through the irrigation channels that gave Shenzhen, meaning “deep drains”, its name – is now occupied by dense districts that are home to more than 17 million people. I spot the outlines of Longgang, a major manufacturing hub of electronics such as smartphones and power supply units, and Futian, the city’s administrative and commercial core.
The glimmering outlines of China Resources Tower, shaped like a bamboo shoot, and the twin-glass Tencent Seafront Towers also rise in the distance as we near the slick Conrad Shenzhen hotel in the Nanshan district.
Tech walk in Huaqiangbei
One of the nine districts that make up Shenzhen, Nanshan is a quiet area, known for its tech campuses, public parks and universities. It provides a needed charge before I am thrust into the colour and frenzy of Huaqiangbei – the world’s largest electronics market and, for many entrepreneurs, the main reason to visit Shenzhen.
The market's scale hits me first. The strip may be only 800 metres long, but it's flanked by multistorey buildings packed with nearly 40,000 vendors. Most of the buildings don’t carry signs stating any specific wares or brands. You simply step in and get enveloped by endless booths – a sea of motherboards, loose cables, LED strips, soldering kits, phone cases and even neck massagers.
Behind booths, shopkeepers invite you to check the merchandise while keyboard and drum beats reverberate as customers test digital music pads nearby.
Though the market invites wandering, most people come here to get things done, whether it's seeking the latest podcast microphones, drones or mobile camera stands. Deals are made through translation apps, and haggling is expected. Payments happen in cash or via the easy-to-use Alipay app. I leave with a bundle of phone cords, a battery charger, two one-terabyte USB drives and a white eye massager shaped like a sleeping mask, all for 200 yuan (Dh102).
While Huaqiangbei feels initially chaotic, its sheer purposefulness is another reflection of Shenzhen as a city where things get done without fuss or ceremony.
Balance of science and culture
The buzz dims as I take a 40-minute taxi across Guangming district to reach the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum.
Opened in May, the museum stands as a sign of Shenzhen’s planned shift from manufacturing hub to tech powerhouse.
That ambition crystallises in the building itself. The sleek glass and steel facade, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, resembles a spacecraft.
The atrium, bound by curved silver walls and a large Chinese flag in the centre, feels like an airport terminal. Hundreds of students and families move towards kiosks selling entry tickets, priced at 50 yuan for adults.
Inside, the museum’s purpose is clear: spark a love of science early.
Exhibitions span four permanent halls and lean heavily on gamification. In the robotics and sustainability zones, children bang on taiko drums. The harder they strike, the more virtual energy is generated. A screen tracks an animated character racing towards a finish line, making learning a fun competition between friends. Nearby, robotic arms assemble coffee orders, while humanoid robots greet visitors. Other exhibits envision futures where technology works alongside humans, from robot surgeons to automated valet parking.
The messaging aims to inspire excitement at the opportunities technology offers up, rather than a fear of change.
But for all of its positioning as a tech and manufacturing hub, Shenzhen also maintains its respect for the past. The city’s own heritage is preserved and celebrated at Shenzhen Museum in Futian District and, more vividly, at the Splendid China Folk Culture Village.
Located about 18km from the city centre, the sprawling 30-hectare site is divided into more than 20 sections, each replicating ethnic villages of China’s officially recognised minority communities.
You can traverse wooden stilt homes of the Dong people native to Guizhou Province, marvel at the intricate carvings of the Miao community and witness the swirling fan dance of the Dai people from Yunnan Province.
The village is vast, and the highlight of my stay was renting a buggy, for 50 yuan an hour, to explore the site at a languid pace. Cruising through its sections, I felt like I was inside a picture book, unfolding as I passed mini replicas of the Great Wall and a similarly scaled-down Forbidden City.
Lovingly preserved and charmingly quaint, the village should take up a priority spot on any Shenzhen itinerary.
Artistic alleyways
A 25-minute taxi ride away can have you experiencing the creative side of Shenzhen. The entrance to Dafen Oil Painting Village is a nondescript alley off a busy road, but once inside, the noise recedes as you arrive at a central courtyard from which narrow alleyways fan out to hundreds of tiny studios and galleries.
There are painters at work in almost every doorway. From the outside, some spaces appear no bigger than shoeboxes, others are more elaborate. I see a woman painting porcelain dolls beside a man copying Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, seemingly from memory. Other artists recreate everything from traditional Chinese landscapes to vibrant video game characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog.
Once known for its mass production of cheap knock-offs of western masterpieces, the village’s reputation has changed over the past decade with galleries such as Sunrise Art Centre and TNT Contemporary Art Space now showcasing original work by local and regional artists.
Yes, you can haggle and take an accurate recreation home, but you can also pause and soak in the atmosphere. Get lost in the alleyways and find art you didn’t know you needed, or sit in one of the courtyard cafes where students gather and elderly men play chess.
Unlike Huaqiangbei, there’s no commercial urgency here. The fact that art is being made is all that matters.
Halal dining in Shenzhen
My final stop is a quiet dinner inside Muslim Hotel Restaurant, a modest but enduring presence in Shenzhen’s city centre. A TripAdvisor find, its name appeared on top lists of halal restaurants to try – also including Turkish-inspired Mevlana and Muslim Noodles Restaurant – with the added distinction that it’s been operating for more than 40 years.
The menu reflects the culinary heritage of China’s north-western Muslim communities, but adapted to the tastes of the southern port city. I order sauteed mushroom and spinach, beef baked dumplings and spicy chicken noodles for 204 yuan. It’s a homely and hearty meal that underscores the cohesion of Shenzhen, where tech markets and futuristic museums seamlessly sit alongside historical villages and culinary stalwarts.
It all forms part of a larger story in a city whose potential is still being written.
Emirates launched direct daily flights to Shenzhen in July, the airline's fourth destination in mainland China, with Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
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Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
