City Pulse | Holiday updates: What's new and changing?

Are you ready for the weeklong Chinese New Year holiday? Here are some updates about the services, shopping, and leisure facilities the city has to offer during the holiday. Take a look to see if they help to inspire your holiday plans. 

Spring Festival special items available at wholesale market

The Futian Agricultural Produce Wholesale Market, the largest of its kind in Futian District, began its Chinese New Year’s Shopping Festival on Saturday. Customers can find a wide range of items including nutritious products, fresh fruits and vegetables, and Spring Festival special products in the market.

Customers shop for candies at the Futian Agricultural Produce Wholesale Market. Photo from Shenzhen Evening News

The first floor of the market includes stalls offering specialties from Northeast China, meeting the demand of visitors searching for northern flavors. The shopkeeper from one stall has fresh silkworm chrysalises and frozen pears on display — both unique offerings from Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang Province. On the second floor, carriages that have various themed ingredients from eastern and southern China are in place, with products from more than 130 selected outstanding merchants.

During the Spring Festival, sufficient supplies and stable prices are guaranteed for the market’s key commodities. The average incoming daily volume of goods is expected to reach 3,500 tons, including 1,000 tons of vegetables, 800 tons of fruits, 1,000 tons of pork, beef, and mutton, 150 tons of poultry and eggs, 30 tons of aquatic products, and 1,500 tons of grains, oils, dry goods, and seasonings.

Customers shop for flowers at the market. Photo from Shenzhen Evening News

In addition, for Hong Kong residents, the market has implemented measures to facilitate and enhance their shopping experience. Visitors from Hong Kong can go cashless and use Alipay to finish transactions based on a real-time currency exchange rate, and the purchases can be delivered cross-border unconditionally.

Also, shuttle services between Futian Checkpoint and the market will operate until Thursday. Service hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for checkpoint departures and 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. for market departures, with an interval of 20 minutes.

City's largest pet-friendly park opens before Spring Festival

Another pet-friendly space opened in Bao’an District on Sunday, and it is the largest pet-friendly park in Shenzhen.

The Yunxi Pet Park, the largest pet-friendly park in Shenzhen, opens Sunday. Photo from Shenzhen Special Zone Daily

Located in the southwest side of the intersection of Jiangangshan Avenue and Guangtai Road in Xin'an Subdistrict, the Yunxi Pet Park covers an area of roughly 13,000 square meters, including a 1,200-square-meter pet playground consisting of three different zones for large, medium, and small-sized pets, respectively.

A dog plays merrily inside the pet park. Photo from Shenzhen Special Zone Daily

Each zone has special facilities and equipment, such as running paths, climbing frames, sand pools, drilling equipment, and pet drinking water supplies, allowing pets of different sizes to play, exercise, or interact with each other freely. The entire play area, with double gates, is surrounded by fences designed to prevent conflicts between dogs and humans.

Another highlight of the park is a ring-shaped elevated walkway designed for pet owners to take a leisurely walk or enjoy the park’s panoramic view. Down in the center of the ring-shaped walkway, there is also a small amphitheater where visitors can sit and watch performances. 

In the future, the park will have an open-air café, a pet grooming area, a pet medical area, pet supplies shops, and other service facilities, making it more convenient for pet owners to provide better care for their pets.

Add: Intersection of Jiangangshan Boulevard and Guangtai Road, Xin'an Subdistrict, Bao'an District (宝安区新安街道尖岗山大道与广泰路交汇路口西南侧云曦萌宠绿地小游园)

Light shows revitalize ancient market

A series of splendid and innovative light displays are being presented at the Guanlan Ancient Market in Longhua District, bringing the historic buildings within this tourist attraction to life.

A light show is being staged at the Guanlan Ancient Market. Photo by Chang Zhipeng

The Guanlan Ancient Market, as one of the only remaining “Four Famous Markets” in Shenzhen’s history, boasts a legacy of over 200 years.

The light shows were initiated last year after the scenic spot completed a three-year renovation, aiming to provide visitors with an enriched nighttime touring experience by seamlessly integrating cultural and creative products, artistic displays, exhibitions, and digital interactive experiences.

Every evening at 8 p.m., unique light shows will unfold at various locations within the Guanlan Ancient Market, including the Rain, Painting, Moon, Flower, and Poetry Alleys as well as the Longgang Top Street. Visitors can engage with the lights and appreciate Hakka songs performed by virtual characters projected in the surroundings.

A light show is being staged at the market. Photo by Chang Zhipeng

At 8:20 p.m. each day, a grand thematic light show named “Meet Guanlan” will take place at the Ancient Temple Square, situated at the southern gate of the scenic spot, featuring ancient Chinese myths and legends.

These captivating and immersive light shows are made possible through the utilization of a dozen Epson laser projectors installed throughout the scenic area.

It’s worth noting that Epson (China) Co. Ltd. has a history of contributing to cultural and tourism development events. Epson’s high-brightness laser projectors have previously been employed to create magnificent light displays in the Xixi National Wetland Park in Hangzhou and in exhibitions presented by the renowned Japanese art group teamLab.

Metro to extend service for holiday travel rush

Shenzhen Metro Group will extend service by one to two and a half hours on nine days during the Spring Festival travel rush period, from Sunday to Wednesday and from Feb. 15 to 19.

Here is our previous posting on the details, check it out for the updates.

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jAswT1W2PKGtTuCZm4gGcA