Living it up in Dongmen

Published on January 1, 2005 by brooks | This story has been viewed 430 times
Living it up in Dongmen


By Julia Lai

The pair of pillars mark one of the many entrances of Dongmen.

It’s so crowded on this bus in Shenzhen. Many of the passengers are from Hong Kong – just look at the amount of Hong Kong coins mixed with the RMB in the coin box. They are heading towards one of the downtown shopping havens, the East Gate Shopping Mall.

But don’t mistake the place for a fancy shopping arcade because of its name. Known locally as the Dongmen market, it is a cluster of streets that’s become a popular shopping district for the local as well as the Hong Kong people.

In fact, it has got to be one of the Hong Kongers’ favourite places to spend a day in Shenzhen, if not the Lo Wu Commercial Centre. Among the estimated 300,000 people visiting Dongmen each day, one out of three is from Hong Kong.

What attracts them across the border?

“There are so many people, so many food stalls, and so many shops,” said Mr Lui, a 52-year-old nurse who visits Dongmen every month.

But Dongmen’s real appeal is more than the partying atmosphere and the choices. Look at the banners hanging everywhere on the streets – RMB$ 10 for a jade pendant, a DVD, or a shirt. Who doesn’t like the fun of being a magician, turning money that might otherwise be spent on a dinner in Hong Kong, into several bags of goods?

Art, music and design goods are sold in Dongmen Pokart.

Nearly twice as wide as Park Lane in Tsimshatsui, the streets in Dongmen are filled with shoppers. Small shops selling goods from clothing to VCDs line the two sides. Salespersons stand on stools, waving their hands and yelling at people not to miss the chance to buy cheap stuff. Shopping malls with names familiar to Hong Kong people, like Mongkok shopping centre, emerge between the small shops.

“Seafood Prices”

Mr Yau, a 28-year-old repairman, goes for stylish clothes in Dongmen every week. The clothes there are like those found in Mongkok, he said, but with “a seafood price” — a Cantonese term meaning an ever-changing price. Who knows ? He might bargain the price on a particular item from RMB$200 to RMB$30.

Mr Yau also loves to eat snacks as he shops. The food stalls, apart from the big chain restaurants like McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, are found in the alleys off the main streets. The food they sell is similar to that in Hong Kong, but the price is more competitive. Even a meal with four dishes and a soup can be only RMB$5.

Other than the crazy shopping and dining, Dongmen also offers something for the soul. Mr Lui likes visiting Shenzhen Pokart, a place where things related to art and design, like calligraphy tools and musical instruments, are sold. Though not as large as the book city, it has a whole floor devoted to selling books.

Mr Lui is looking for rare finds rather than good prices. “Sometimes you can find a series of books there which you cannot find in Hong Kong,” he said.

Housewives’ Attractions

Modern shopping area – with pedestrian paths and drinking fountains – are one ofthe reasons Dongmen has become a magnet for bargain hunters.

As many Hong Kong people are mesmerized by the modern part of Dongmen, some may have forgotten about the wet market just across the Dongmen Footbridge, a great place to experience the traditional Shenzhen lifestyle.

People and motorcycles are fighting their way on wet and muddy streets. A strong smell of petrol fills the air. Hawkers are selling vegetables, nuts and even rabbit meat on the streets. Some stalls are selling dried and salted foods like Jinhua ham. In the indoor market, fish and pickles sold are of variety.

“I used to buy vegetables and chicken there,” said Mrs Kwee, a housewife who lives in Tai Po, just three stops on the KCR line from Lo Wu. “It’s cheaper than in Hong Kong then.”

But she gradually got tired of taking the things across the border and lost interest in Dongmen as she found other interesting places around Shenzhen.

This is the issue local government is most concerned about — Dongmen’s attractiveness. In 1998, it decided to turn the old Dongmen market into the modern one it is now and, recently, Dongmen was chosen as one of the places where the city will install pedestrian drinking water taps.

The water taps are part of a plan to upgrade Shenzhen’s image. Local leaders talk about making it a “world-class” city, in addition to a place for “world-class” bargains.


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