Job Discussion Forums

[Mathieu]

I'm going to Shenzhen with a standard 5 000 RMB contract. I would like to know if I'll be able to save up a bit and if Shenzhen is still living up to it's bad reputation regarding crime, pickpocketing and stuff.

Sincerly,
Mathieu

[James_T_Kirk]

Hi Mathieu,

While it is certainly possible to live in Shenzhen and save money on your salary, it could be difficult depending on your lifestyle. If you go to the expat bars in Shekou to drink every night, followed by frequent visits to Macau and Hong Kong on the weekends, you will save nothing. However, if you limit your excursions to Shekou (plenty of other places to have a good time at night on a cheap budget) and Hong Kong/Macau, you should be able to save a little money. Personally, when I taught in Shenzhen, I had difficulty saving money...not so much because of excursions to Shekou, but frequent visits to Hong Kong and Macau instead!

I'm not sure how to reply about your inquiry regarding Shenzhen's bad crime reputation. In fact, I wasn't even aware of such a reputation! Granted, the Lonely Planet paints such a picture, but for some odd reason, LP China is biased against Shenzhen. Granted, it is no Shanghai or Xiamen, but I have definitely been to worse cities in China! When I lived in Shenzhen, I knew of a few friends that had their bikes stolen, but that is about it. Of course, to be fair, it has been nearly five years since I lived there...perhaps crime is on the rise there now, I don't know.

Cheers,
Kirk

[Mathieu]

Thanks Kirk, I really appreciate your help.

Cheers, Mathieu

[garbotara]

Here is an interesting article about the crime rate in Shenzhen.I do not think it is a great city.It is very polluted.People defecate anywhere they please.It is also very backward.More backward than the most remote areas of China I have visited.I am not impressed with the people here.As someone who was robbed, I am not staying in this city.More than a few friends have been robbed as well.
Here is the Aljazeera link:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A121F74D-B079-476D-995E-FB09CAD5D237.htm

You can also do a google search about crime,etc in Shenzhen. Even before the robbery- which was in broad daylight- I was not impressed with this city.If have never been anywhere else I guess you would think it is okay.

[Roger]

I lived in Shenzhen for three years, and my assessment of living costs would agree with James'.
Shekou is in the SW of town; most people end up in Futian or Luohu, far away from Shekou. There may be more jobs in Shekou right now - who knows? That area has been rapidly expanding.
But Shenzhen is a cultural desert. You will end up spending a lot of time in bars - what else is there to do? Is a huge concrete jungle, rather uninspiring and often very ugly - especially those highrises constructed twenty years ago!
The only place I hung out and enjoyed it was the city library in the Lychee Park. There is very little else to do - hike around Wutongshan, perhaps.
Having said this, you cannot close your eyes before the ugly sides of Shenzhen: crime is a major issue there.

Earlier last year, the PSB had to share their prerogatives with the PLA because the police were seriously undermanned to tackle crime and the problem of itinerant but undocumented folks. These days, slum dwellers resist eviction - today in Bao'an (just outside the city proper), a few weeks ago, in another area. The city is fast growing, and the resumption of land for development purposes does not always follow established law; not only are authorities and developers buddies, a lot of underground types are victimising the public. Pickpocketing is rife in Luohu, prostitution is done in broad daylight, and often involves criminal activities such as extortion, blackmal and kidnapping (or "mannapping").
A number of unsuspecting foreigners have also fallen victim to these various goings-on - an English businessman was killed in the Shangri-La hotel, an African was robbed in the train station in the late evening, a number of females were robbed as well.
The most dangerous area seems to be the Dongmen Road part of downtown.

[Kurochan]

I've lived in Shenzhen for almost four years.

I think whether you like it or not depends on a lot of factors, where you live being among the most important. I've heard there's a lot of crime in some places, such as Bao'an, and Luohu, especially around the train station, is the sleazy armpit of Shenzhen. However, I live out in Nanshan district, and have not had any problems (except a two-week, strange influx of Xinjiang pickpockets who disappeared as suddenly as they came). The only bad thing about Nanshan is that it's far from the center of town. What with the traffic and everything, it takes me more than an hour to get to the billboard of Deng Xiao Ping downtown) where the big bookstore is, and where Dongmen is (which has good shopping -- just watch your bag!). Nanshan is close to Shekou, if you get into the whole expat scene. As far as I knew, it used to be mostly drinking and whoring, but now I guess there's a rugby club, and you can meet some really nice people down there. I rarely go there, though.

There are lots of good restaurants in Shenzhen, especially if you like to eat weird stuff. In the pre-SARS days, you could get almost anything, even crocodile (I expect HK's Yuen Long crocodile was released from a restaurant in SZ). Dog and some kinds of insect are still on the menu, though.

I'd also agree that there's not enough cultural stuff -- or if there is, you don't find out about it unless you read Chinese. If you do want t o go to concerts and art galleries, you might have to have a Chinese friend help you out.

It's also super hot for like six months out of the year, and wherever you live probably won't have heating in the winter. Although it rarely gets below 15 Centigrade, that can feel cold if you've been used to 30.

I'm a bit "over" SZ now, because I've been there for so long, but I'd say for the most part, it can be an easy place to live. It's got air conditioning, a decent amount of buses and taxis, convenient food shopping, and there are lots of tailors, in case you are too big for Chinese clothes. The people are pretty nice, there are some decent hospitals, and it's easy to pick up more work if you need extra money. The pollution isn't as bad as a lot of cities, like Guangzhou or even Hong Kong, it isn't as overcrowded as some cities (for example, Guangzhou), and although you have to be careful, especially around the train station, there are a lot less pickpockets than -- you guessed it -- Guangzhou.

If you can deal with the heat, and you're careful to protect your personal belongings, it can be a good place to start out in China. For one year, it's OK, and if you don't like it, you can move on when your contract is over.

[garbotara]

I like Nanshan. It is one of the better areas. But, the crime in Shenzhen has really put me off.

[Klamm]

Shenzhen is no place to be. Taxis are expensive and on the one day I was there, I witnessed the police cuffing a pickpocket.

It doesn't look beautiful. Concrete jungle. Guangzhou is more attractive than Shenzhen and Guangzhou is not a city known for its beauty or charm. I visited a lot of cities in China and Shenzhen was the least attractive of any place.

There's my two cents. Hope it helps.

K.

[NateM]

A good site with information on Shenzhen is http://www.ShenzhenPeople.com . If you want to talk extensively to people who live there right now, that might be the place to go.

[garbotara]

I would not recommend Shenzhen to anyone.The crime is a major factor.If you have been in any other Chinese city,you would find Shenzhen very disappointing.Guangzhou is a much more interesting city.Shenzhen just has tacky theme parks.

[ilunga]

I only stayed a short time in both but I preferred Shenzhen to Guangzhou.
I found Shenzhen less expensive, not as noisy, has better bars and better food.
It depends what kind of lifestyle you're after I guess.