Is Shenzhen dangerous or not??

I want to go to Shenzhen for Christmas shopping, but I haven't been in a few years. I heard about women from Hong Kong being held in shops against their will and even kidnapped. Is there any truth to this?


Is it still safe to go to the mall with handbags and inexpensive framed Chinese writing? If so, what precautions are recommended for women?

We go to Shenzhen to shop a lot - and not just

LoWu Commercial Centre. Use your common sense, just as you would in NY, Paris or Bangkok.


Don't follow a tout into a shop. Don't go into back rooms.


Go shopping, remember to haggle a lot, get a manudire/pedicure/foot massage and enjoy yourself!

Yes, Shenzhen is safe but you need to be conscious of the fact that there are pickpockets where ever there are crowds. The people in the LoWu Commercial Centre are friendly. If you do not want to go on your own why don't you check with the Australian Association or the English Speaking Department of the YWCA and go on one of their conducted trips. The organiser from each of those organisations knows her way around and knows a lot of the sales people. I think the group size for each is about 10 so thre is a sense of security with them. Go and enjoy it!

I was just comparing Shenzhen to any other city... we are very lucky living in HK, which is a relatively safe city - it gets our guard down. Yet, when we travel oversease - to places like NY, Paris and Bangkok, (I guess I could have said Leeds, Baltimore, Nairobi) we tend to be more cautious and careful about our belongings and the decissions we make...


I am suggesting Shenzhen is similar - just like any other city we need to remember we are not in the relative safety of Hong Kong anymore.


That should not prevent us from going and enjoying the great food, shopping, manicures, massages and other things the city offers...

But it is really down to personal comfort level and individual choice. The idea of going with a group the first time is a good one for someone who is worried about going just with friends, and might give them the confidence to go again with friends later.