Hong Kong OR/AND Shenzhen!!!

Hi everybody!

To keep it short, i would like to know if you could help me with the following, please!


- Famous wine stores in HK and Shenzhen (i am a Spanish wine wholesaler so i want to check out the sortiment!)


- Baby clothes and stuff (have a kidd and another on its way)


- Casual mens wear


By the way, is it worth it visiting Shenzhen???


Regards


Mario

Shenzhen:

Firstly, stay away from the Lowu Commercial Centre which many Hong Kongers think IS Shenzhen. This is actually one seedy shopping mall in a city of 14 million people.


Wine stores - not really a thing for Shenzhen. There are many wholesalers for different wines eg Australian, Spanish, South African, French etc but there is a tax on wine sales so the retail wine market is not great. I would think Macau is better. If you do want to ask about the wine business in Shenzhen, chat with Ian or David at Xpats Wine Bar in Central Walkway (Futian - metro stop Hui Zhang Zhong Xin) as they are wine importers and really know the business. Very friendly Australians and always happy to chat about wine,

Baby clothes - heaps in Shenzhen. Chinese love babies and all the malls have a "Baby Floor", usually the top floor. There is also "Children's World" in Hua Qiang Bei Lu.

Casual menswear - HK would be better than SZ for well know brands.

Having said that, Shenzhen has lots to offer and the area favoured by many foreigners - Shekou - has a Spanish/Portuguese speaking community. You can check out the Map of Shenzhen, available at Dymocks stores in HK for $80, with a bilingual taxi guide. This gives you the great places to go and there are maps of the border crossings - Shenzhen Bay is by far the best and you can go by cross-border bus from Kowloon Elements or Kowloon Tong Bus Terminal. (Prices in Shenzhen are less than half of Hong prices for everything except imported goods.)

"Firstly, stay away from the Lowu Commercial Centre which many Hong Kongers think IS Shenzhen. This is actually one seedy shopping mall in a city of 14 million people."


Most Hong Kongers who travel to Shenzhen on a regular basis know perfectly well that the Lowu Commercial Centre is not all there is. Having said that, the LCC is a great place to go for a variety of household and personal need items. I have seen over the many years I have been going across the border that the LCC is constantly changing for the better. What bakfaiya finds seedy, I find an adventure. To get the most out of the experience, while at the same time getting the very best prices, you must be willing to take the time to smooze and negotiate. There are almost no fixed prices. And you must let whoever it is you are dealing with know that you are coming from Hong Kong -- that you are not a helpless/hopeless tourist. Tourists get eaten up alive. But for the rest, it is quite possibly the most interesting/exciting mall setting in the world -- like a Chinese Fellini film but without the nuns.


Bakfaiyau offers good advice, but don't not go to the LCC just because it's seedy. In fact my advise is that you must go. It's part of the experience of living in this unique area of the world.


p.s. Watch your wallet or anything else that can easily be pick-pocketed. This is not a perfect world... but life should always be an adventure!