Shekou Industrial Zone
Shekou (Chinese: 蛇口; pinyin: Shékŏu; literally "Snake's Mouth") is an area at the tip of Nantou Peninsula in Shenzhen, Guangdong, southern China, south of Nantou and facing Lau Fau Shan of Hong Kong across Deep Bay.
It was formerly a customs station in Bao'an County and now belongs to Nanshan District of Shenzhen. On 31 January 1979, it became Shekou Industrial Zone developed solely by China Merchants of Hong Kong, earlier than the formation of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.
Since the 1980s, after foreign oil majors such as Agip,[1] Chevron,[2][3] Texaco,[1] Statoil[4] and Shell[5] obtained concessions for oil exploration in the South China Sea, Shekou started serving as a base for a small contingent of foreign oil platform workers, since qualified personnel were not available locally. As a result of this first mover advantage in catering for mainly western tastes in housing, food and drink, entertainment and schooling, at a time when no alternatives were available in the area, Shekou gradually became home to the majority of the expatriate population working in and around Shenzhen and part of its hinterland in the Pearl River Delta. This trend has however abated after 2003, as the country's continued economic reform, development of the Nanshan and Futian areas, and substantial increases in English levels of university graduates have made life in the city proper more acceptable to many foreigners without school-age children.
In 2003, the local government, seeking to capitalize on the foreign flavor of the town, invested in a complete make-over of Sea World, turning it into a western-style entertainment area centered around the grounded Minghua[6] (明华) ship, a 14,000 ton, 168 m long vessel built in 1962 as a French ferry vessel purchased by China in 1973. It is commonly (and incorrectly) referred to by many Shenzhen locals as French president Charles De Gaulle's private yacht. The Minghua is now completely landlocked due to extensive local land reclamation and redevelopment efforts, but remains the epicenter of Shekou's vibrant and sometimes rowdy nightlife scene.
Line 2 of the city's subway ends in Shekou and therefore is also called the Shekou line. It has stations at Sea World and the Shekou port, amongst others.
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Transportation [edit]
It is possible to fly into Hong Kong airport and get a ferry direct to Shekou. The customs and immigration process is completed upon disembarking the ferry. The Metro station is just beyond the taxi stand, and buses go directly from the ferry port to Shenzhen airport. Info as well as boarding / ticket procedures under: http://www.cksp.com.hk/eng/skypier/introduction/main.html More Detailed Step-By-Step information is here: http://living-in-shenzhen-shekou.wikispaces.com/FlyIntoHongKong
Shekou is also the mainland entry point for the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor that opened on 1 July 2007. It links Shekou with Yuen Long of Hong Kong.
Community [edit]
The area is well known for its expatriate community and the many foreign restaurants that exist in the area.
References [edit]
- ^ a b Agip, Chevron And Texaco Sign Agreement To Study New Tract Offshore China - Pr Newswire - Highbeam Research
- ^ Multinational Monitor: Chevron, the big oil boys
- ^ People's Daily, June 14, 2001: More oil found in the South China Sea
- ^ Statoil China office contact details
- ^ Geotimes, February 2008: Squabbles over the South China Sea
- ^ Sea World
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shekou |
- Ferry map with connections between Shenzhen, Macao, Hong Kong, HKAI, HK Kowloon, and Zhuhai
- living-in-shenzhen-shekou WIKI
Coordinates: 22°29′09″N 113°57′43″E / 22.485913°N 113.961868°E
