Xinhua News Agency, Shenzhen, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Witnessing the two-way rush: Shenzhen and Hong Kong jointly draw a high-quality living circle in the Greater Bay Area.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Wang Pan, Wang Feng, Li Xiaoling.
Since the full resumption of customs clearance in February this year, Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland have become increasingly enthusiastic in both directions, followed by many indicators in the fields of Shenzhen-Hong Kong port**, capital flow, logistics and other fields have continued to rise.
While the consumption in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is being upgraded and upgraded, a better quality of life circle is shining with new brilliance in the process of accelerating the integration and interconnection of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
*"Rushing" set off a cross-city consumption boom.
Since the beginning of this year, from daily weekends to important festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, crowds have become the norm at various ports between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Taier sauerkraut fish, wooden house barbecue, Runyuan Four Seasons coconut chicken ......Speaking of food and beverage in Shenzhen, Ms. Lai Zhiru, who lives in Yau Tsim Mong District, Hong Kong, is already half of the "Shenzhen Pass". With an average of two to three trips to Shenzhen a week, she has a good idea of the popular check-in places in Shenzhen.
Nowadays, on Hong Kong social platforms, various strategies for "eating, shopping, and playing" in Shenzhen have become hot topics, and "nail art, massage, and dental care" are also popular among consumers of all ages. "In addition to the relatively cheap **, there are more and more convenient payment methods and more and more high-quality services. Li Zhiru said.
According to the data of the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station, from January 1 to December 30, 2023, a total of 16.4 billion passengers, with a daily average of 4.5070,000 people;More than 80 million people entered the country, with a daily average of more than 220,000, of which Hong Kong residents accounted for the largest proportion.
In Link Central City, which is only two subway stops away from Futian Port, passenger traffic and sales have increased significantly this year. "The most obvious was in December, when the mall's total sales increased by 225% year-on-year and the total customer flow increased by 229% year-on-yearDuring the Christmas holidays, the proportion of Hong Kong tourists increased to about 50% of the total passenger flow. Zhuang Meirong, general manager of Link Central City Project Company, said.
The "night economy" is the highlight of cross-city consumption. Whenever night falls, Shenzhen from the port to the city, everywhere is brightly lit, crowds of people, and traffic is endless. According to data from the Shenzhen Power Supply Bureau of China Southern Power Grid, since February this year, the electricity consumption of Shenzhen's tertiary industry has increased by 11 percent year-on-year47%, Shenzhen's average electricity consumption at night (18 o'clock to 6 o'clock the next day) increased by 7 percent year-on-year63, the electricity consumption of Shenzhen port increased by 15 year-on-year93%。
In Hong Kong, during the Christmas holiday, the "Winter Fireworks on the Victoria Harbour" staged every night attracted a large number of mainland tourists. "This time, I took my children to see the fireworks in Victoria Harbour, and I will also go to the Hong Kong Palace Museum to experience the diverse collision of Eastern and Western cultures at my doorstep. Ms. Huang, a resident of Shenzhen, said.
"Connectivity" accelerates the development of the Bay Area.
As the general manager of Link Central City, Hong Kong native Zhuang Meirong spends most of her time in Shenzhen, and she has become accustomed to the fast and convenient life between the two places. "You can take the high-speed rail for half an hour to achieve a round trip, and the development of Shenzhen-Hong Kong co-urbanization is becoming more and more obvious. Zhuang Meirong said.
At present, the interconnection of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area continues to advance, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Nansha Bridge, and Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail have narrowed the physical distance between each other. According to data from the railway department, as of December 30 this year, a total of 547 passengers were sent by Shenzhen Railway to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station50,000 person-times, 515 from Hong Kong to Shenzhen60,000 person-times, high-speed rail tickets between the two places on weekends and holidays are often "hard to find".
AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK, and Shenzhen-Hong Kong bus and subway QR code scanning and interconnection have been implemented, making the interconnection between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao residents more convenient. "Nowadays, many Hong Kong tourists use mobile phones to pay for consumption, and we have also opened a free Wi-Fi service for cross-border mobile phones to solve the problem caused by the lack of mobile networks between the two places. Zhuang Meirong said.
According to the data, in the second half of this year, the overall number of transactions made by mainland tourists using Alipay in Hong Kong increased by 40% compared with the first half of the year, while the transaction volume of Hong Kong people using AlipayHK to return to the mainland and to Macao has been steadily increasing. Since June this year, using applications such as Shenzhen Pass and Alipay, you can scan the QR code to take the bus and subway in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and the ride fee will be settled at the real-time exchange rate**.
Guo Wanda, executive vice president of China (Shenzhen) Comprehensive Development Research Institute, said that with the more convenient transportation infrastructure in the Greater Bay Area, the internal exchanges between regions have become more frequent, and the intensity of spatial connections has been increasing, and the formation of a "one-hour living circle" has accelerated.
"Two-way rush" to promote the integration and renewal of the Bay Area.
Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao complement each other's strengths, and in recent years, they have continued to carry out exchanges and cooperation in many fields such as science and technology, culture, art and education, and the soft power of science and technology and culture in the Greater Bay Area has gradually increased.
A few days ago, the first issued the "Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone Shenzhen Park Development Plan", the construction of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone continues to accelerate, and it is expected to add more than 200,000 high-end talents here in the future, and more than 150 scientific research projects have been substantially promoted and implemented in the Shenzhen Park alone.
It is only a thirty or forty minute drive from the City University of Hong Kong. Chen Furong, dean of the Shenzhen Futian Research Institute of the City University of Hong Kong, who studies electron microscopy in the Shenzhen Park of the Loop, said, "Scientific innovation requires a flash of inspiration and impulse, and it is so important that I come up with an idea in Hong Kong and try it in this laboratory right away." ”
In addition to traditional consumption areas such as shopping and catering, in-depth tourism also continues to enrich the humanistic spirit of the Greater Bay Area. As a place where Eastern and Western cultures meet, Hong Kong has a diverse cultural life and diverse cultural scene. Visit the Hong Kong Book Fair, visit the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and listen to a ...... at the Victoria Harbour waterfrontTravelling to Hong Kong is no longer just about "buying, buying, buying".
Since the beginning of this year, there has been almost no interruption of large-scale exhibitions held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre;A number of concerts at the Central Harbourfront Event Space brought together audiences from all over the world inside and outside the venue, and the pomp and circumstance is still vivid. He Yuan, a young man from Shenzhen, said.
During this year's Hong Kong Book Fair, Shenzhen and Hong Kong also opened a direct train to the Hong Kong Book Fair, starting from Shenye Upper Town in Shenzhen, which can go directly to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, so as to shorten the distance between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. "The Hong Kong Book Fair had nearly one million visitors, many of whom were friends from Shenzhen. Zeng Yijing, the Shenzhen representative of the Hong Kong ** Development Bureau, said. (Participating in the writing: Liang Xizhi, Mao Siqian).