By Irene Chan & Hans Tse
Hong Kong resident Chris Wong, his wife, and their kid travelled with two other families to Zhuhai on Easter Sunday.
They crossed the border and checked into a resort hotel to spend the remaining two days of the Easter break in the Chinese city, just across the Pearl River Estuary from Hong Kong.
Wong and his family stayed in a room that cost HK$1,500 a night, which included tickets to two amusement parks at the 120,000-square-metre resort.
“At the resort, Hongkongers are everywhere,” Wong told HKFP in Cantonese over the phone. “I can tell from their accent.”
Along with his family, Wong – who is in his 30s – often spends weekends and holidays in Zhuhai and Shenzhen, two Chinese cities close to Hong Kong. He said heading to mainland China had become a popular choice for Hongkongers, especially families with children.
“Half of my friends at work have gotten used to heading north to spend holidays,” said Wong, who works in the marketing sector.
Since Hong Kong lifted its Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and reopened the border in February 2023, a growing number of residents have been travelling to neighbouring mainland Chinese cities for weekends and holidays. They spend on dining, shopping, and even medical services, taking advantage of the lower costs of goods and services.
During the four-day Easter holiday last week, around 1.86 million Hong Kong residents left the city, with around 1.6 million heading to mainland China, according to the Immigration Department.
Meanwhile, the number of travellers visiting Hong Kong over the Easter holiday only reached over half a million.
The tourism deficit has left the city’s shopping malls and restaurants reeling.
Simon Wong, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, reckoned the city’s food and beverage industry suffered a 30 per cent drop in business during this year’s Easter holiday.
Some high-end eateries experienced a 40 to 50 per cent drop in income during the holiday, he told a radio programme on Easter Monday, the last day of the holiday.
The number of Hongkongers travelling to mainland China has steadily increased over the past few years.
In 2024, Hong Kong residents made more than 104 million outbound trips, according to local media reports, citing official figures.
Nearly 82 million trips were made to mainland China last year – a surge of more than 50 per cent compared with 2023, when Hong Kong recorded about 53 million trips across the border.
‘A good deal’
Hong Kong resident Luna – not her real name – goes to Shenzhen with her husband or friends at least once a month. It has been her habit for more than a year.
| 💡HKFP grants anonymity to known sources under tightly controlled, limited circumstances defined in our Ethics Code. Among the reasons senior editors may approve the use of anonymity for sources are threats to safety, job security or fears of reprisals. |
“We usually go for a massage or do our nails. Sometimes I have my haircut too. Then we eat at a restaurant,” said the 30-year-old, who asked to use a pseudonym due to privacy concerns.
Dining in a hotpot restaurant in Shenzhen costs around HK$100 per person – a third of what she would spend in Hong Kong, she said.
“Even if I don’t spend money in Shenzhen, I still won’t spend money in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s restaurants are really too expensive,” said Luna, who works in marketing.
“I think Hong Kong is still doing better in terms of food safety. But the price [of restaurants in mainland China] is such a good deal,” she added. “We’re just indulging every once in a while anyway.”
She also sang the praises of the public facilities in mainland Chinese cities, saying they were better compared to years ago.
“When I visited [mainland China] again after the pandemic ended, I found the hygiene had improved. Most toilets are now clean and odourless,” she said.
During the Easter break last week, Luna and her husband hopped on the high-speed train to Shenzhen. “I think the railway also facilitates more people heading north. That’s why it was built, right?” she said.
‘It’s crazy’
In recent years, the Hong Kong government has been investing in infrastructure projects that connect the city with mainland China. In September 2018, the HK$85 billion high-speed rail link, connecting Hong Kong to 44 mainland Chinese cities, began operations. A month later, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which cost over HK$117 billion, was opened.
Hong Kong is also connected to Shenzhen via six land checkpoints: Shenzhen Bay, Lok Ma Chau, Lo Wu, Man Kam To, Sha Tau Kok, and Heung Yuen Wai.
Carol, a mother of two toddlers, finds going across the border with young children is a hassle. But she still thinks it is worth it because Shenzhen has various attractions for kids.
Many shopping malls in Shenzhen have large indoor playgrounds for children. “With HK$200 per person, the kids can spend a whole day there. While in Hong Kong, playrooms usually charge HK$200 per person for just an hour,” Carol, who also asked to use a pseudonym, said in Cantonese.
“It’s crazy – now you can even see live animals like alpacas, peafowls and capybaras inside Shenzhen’s shopping malls. It’s a bit like animal farms in Hong Kong, but very clean,” she said, while admitting that having animals living in such a small space “is not very ethical.”
Budget constraints are the main reason why she goes to mainland China, said Carol, who works in the social welfare sector.
“If I had lots of money, I wouldn’t head north for entertainment,” she said. “But we are just ordinary families, and spending in mainland China is more affordable.”
Reconciling outlook
Before she had a family, Carol used to visit Shenzhen once in a while. However, she stopped doing so in 2019, when the city was embroiled in massive protests and unrest, triggered by a now-axed extradition bill.
The proposed legislation was seen as an instance of China’s encroachment upon Hong Kong. Thousands of protesters and activists have since been arrested and prosecuted.
“I didn’t have a good feeling towards mainland China in 2019. Besides, I was participating in some of the protests, and I was worried that, if I crossed the border, I could be arrested,” she said.
Luna said that, after the 2019 protests and unrest, many of her friends who had negative sentiments towards China had emigrated. Among those who still live in Hong Kong, only two still insisted on not crossing the border for holidays.
“There are people who stay in the city for different kinds of reasons,” Luna said. With radical changes in the city’s political landscape, living in Hong Kong nowadays feels like “living in one of the provinces of China.”
Carol, in her 30s, has also reconciled her outlook.
“We can’t do anything to improve the political situation even though we are staying in the city,” she said. “My focus in recent years has been more about my children. I just feel happy seeing that they are having fun.”
Changing business landscape
Although heading north is cheaper, Carol says, “We won’t go to Shenzhen every weekend. That’s too exhausting.”
When they stay in Hong Kong, Carol usually brings her two toddlers to a playroom in Sha Tin, where she often sees crowds of people in restaurants and playrooms. She believes that Hong Kong still has its own attractions.
Chris Wong, the young father, said he did not think the trend of Hongkongers going across the border would last forever.
“People will just get tired of it after they’ve been to mainland cities many times,” he said.
However, local businesses will have to withstand the pain in the short run, he added.
Hong Kong authorities said last month that February retail sales logged a negative year-on-year change for the 12th straight month, dropping by 13 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Wong believed that the downward trend would also impact Hong Kong’s food and beverage sector, but he said the change could be about “eliminating the weak and retaining the strong ones.”
“Shenzhen restaurants charge a fair price and offer good service. Maybe Hong Kong restaurants could learn from them,” Wong said.
He currently likes to take his kid to the Cha Kwo Ling Promenade, a new park covering an area of 18,000 square metres in Kwun Tong, which was opened to the public in late 2023.
“It’s near my home, and it’s really good. If Hong Kong offers more places like this, I won’t head north that frequently.”
