TheSZWeb

Foreigners in China… What is a Halfpat?

2008-05-04T12:45:41Z

A new name has been coined for foreigners living (/drifting) in China long term: “halfpat“. “Expat” on the other hand, according to this definition, means temporarily-relocated big-corporation type people… those people who never get into “the real china” and enjoy salary/benefit packages from their firms virtually identical to what they get at home.

There are pros and cons for hiring either of these types of Western-trained non-local staff. The strength of an expat is their long-term understanding of an industry and their ability to manage business units back home. Halfpats, on the other hand, are more stable and committed to China in the long-term and they have significant cultural, linguistic and market understanding.

For many companies though, the bottom line is a financial one. The staff retention, and overall success rate, of expats is not particularly impressive – particularly in contrast to that of halfpat staff, who do not require expensive relocation packages or language training as they have already taken on those costs themselves.

…

There are more than simply financial benefits to hiring halfpat staff. Perhaps the greatest advantage is their cultural understanding and language skills – which simply cannot be underestimated in a market like China. These two characteristics allow halfpats to hit the ground running and give them a sustainable advantage over traditional expat managers.

Probably the strongest advantage of halfpats is their weird ability to live in China and not get sick of it…

The overall stability and long-term commitment of halfpat staff is also superior to that of the average expat. In fact, many remain in China for a 5-10 year period which makes them less of a risk in terms of failing to complete their assignment. Its estimated that 60% of expats are unable to complete the duration of their assignments.

Grab the full report here.

Via: Allroadsleadtochina

Shenzhen News - 4th May 2008

2008-05-04T09:58:35Z

Leppert welcomes China’s ZTE Corp. to locate HQ in Dallas 6:47 AM CT
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News SHENZHEN, China – A major Chinese telecommunications company will establish its US headquarters in Dallas, …
See all stories on this topic

CIWT Joint Venture Enters into Equipment Supply and Technical …
Earthtimes (press release) - London,UK
… Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: CIWT) , entered into an Equipment Supply and Technical Support Agreement with Shenzhen Dongjiang Environmental Company Limited to …
See all stories on this topic

China launches investigation into claims of child slavery
The Associated Press -
… Sichuan province, and ended up working in electronics and other factories in Guangdong’s Dongguan city as well as Shenzhen and Huizhou, the paper said. …
See all stories on this topic

China Display Technologies Appoints New CFO
CNNMoney.com (press release) - USA
From 2003 to 2004, he was Senior Client Manager in the Credit Department of China Minsheng Banking Co., Ltd. Shenzhen Xiangmi Sub-Branch. …
See all stories on this topic

Listed China firms post 50% rise in 2007 profit
Xinhua - China
Net profit of the 1574 companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges totaled 949.7 billion yuan (136 billion US dollars) last year, the Shanghai …
See all stories on this topic

Team set up to rescue factory kids
China Daily - China
By Chen Hong (China Daily) SHENZHEN: A citywide drive has been launched to rescue children working in Dongguan, a manufacturing base in Guangdong province. …
See all stories on this topic

Ping An Insurance reports Q1 profit up 25.2%
Xinhua - China
Net income rose to 4.96 billion yuan (about 709 million US dollars), the Shenzhen-based company said in a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. …
See all stories on this topic

China’s Small and medium-sized public companies 1Q net profit soars
International Business Times - New York,NY,USA
Over 222 small and medium-sized public companies listed in China’s Shenzhen Stock Exchange gained an average operating income by 308 million Yuan ($44 mln) …
See all stories on this topic

Shenzhen Stock Exchange: Restrictions Set For Top Management Of …
Exchange News Direct - London,England,UK
The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) and China Securities Depositary and Clearing Corp. Shenzhen Branch yesterday jointly issued the Notice on Further …
See all stories on this topic

Is Renminbi Appreciation Slowing?
Seeking Alpha - New York,NY,USA
A few days ago he sent me another message: “Remember I told you about the banning of the use of HKDs in Shenzhen golf clubs? Ha ha I again used HKD today to …
See all stories on this topic

Blogs talking about Shenzhen

post 15
By ryannn(ryannn)
heres my flight schedule for the next few weeks. in order to save some money we bought a lot of tickets from different airlines shanghai to shenzhen [shenzhen, boarder of china near hongkong] shenzhen to bangkok bangkok to krabi …
shanghai 08 - http://shanghairyan.blogspot.com/

China Investigates Forced Child Labor
By Natasha(Becky Grossman)
The police in Guangdong said Wednesday that they had formed teams to search for child laborers in several coastal cities, including Dongguan and Shenzhen, another big manufacturing center, but disclosed nothing about the companies …
Blog for Human Rights - http://cmcholocaustcenter.blogspot.com/

SHENZHEN | China Resources Dachong reconstruction | 300m+ | 984ft+ …
By williamhou2005
by RTKL, includes a supertall, a 180000m^2 shopping mall and 2.28million m^2 of apartments.
SkyscraperCity - Supertalls - http://skyscrapercity.com

355 Airport Bus
By AnDeLu
While waiting for my US colleague and a client at the mecca of expat life in Shenzhen two foreigners approached me and asked ‘Do you speak English?’ Being the sarcastic guy, and sometimes jerk that I have been known to be, …
Andelu’s Rants from Shenzhen - http://andelu.org

Growth in China property prices more sustainable
By lushhomeonline
In South China, luxury residential prices did slip in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xiamen this quarter as further macroeconomic controls went into effect. In Guangzhou, luxury apartment prices fell 2.8 per cent. …
Lushhome :: Online news and informati… - http://lushhomemedia.com

Tags: shenzhen, news,, shenzhen,, china

Shenzhen News - 17th December 2007

2007-12-17T13:51:47Z

Shenzhen experiences realty rip-off
China Daily - China
By Hu Yuanyuan (China Daily) Business circles in Shenzhen were stunned when they heard Zhongtian Real Estate Evaluation Co, one of the country’s top-100 …

China B-shares end morning lower led by property stocks - UPDATE
Forbes - NY,USA
The Shanghai B-share Index fell 4.94 points or 1.39 pct to 351.02 while the Shenzhen B-share Index was down 16.44 points or 2.39 pct at 670.95. …

Aecom takes over architectural design company in Shenzhen
China Knowledge Online - Singapore
CityMark, Shenzhen’s largest private-owned design company, has designed many famous buildings including Da Meisha Sheraton Hotel in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen port passes 20 million box mark
Cargonews Asia - Hong Kong
Shenzhen in south China handled more than 20 million TEUs by mid-December and it strives to climb the world’s container throughput ladder. …

Great Wall Technology to Purchase Stakes in Iomega
Trading Markets (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA
As ExcelStor Group, which is partly owned by Shenzhen Kaifa Technology, holds 23% stakes in IOM, Shenzhen Kaifa Technology would indirectly hold 7.67% …

LCD upgrades boost promotion effectiveness
Global Sources - Singapore
Similarly, Shenzhen Q-ying Gifts & Toys Co. Ltd’s latest models are fitted with 35×19mm screens and can flash alternating photos. …

US architecture, engineering tycoon acquires Chinese CityMark
Xinhua - China
Established in Shenzhen in 1998, CityMark has become a rising star in China’s architectural design and building engineering industries with notable projects …

The passion and enthusiasm of Confucian Asia
On Line opinion - Australia
A recent visit to Shenzhen, which was untouched rice paddy fields on the way to Mao’s Beijing in 1976, brings home the productivity of such passion and …

Chinese stocks recover on Fri boosted by favorable policies
China Knowledge Online - Singapore
The Shenzhen Component Index on the smaller Shenzhen Stock Exchange surged 2.8% to 16483.5 points. The combined trading turnover on the two bourses shrank …

BYD Electronic completes difficult IPO
FinanceAsia - Hong Kong
The company currently has one outstanding lawsuit against BYD in Shenzhen and one in Hong Kong where it is also seeking damages for losses suffered. …

Blogs mentioning Shenzhen:

TEACH MATH IN SHENZHEN! 8000-10000 RMB\month ASAP
Job 20: School in Baoan, Shenzhen. (GXZZY) 8000-10000 RMB\month for teaching Math. 16-22 classes\week.

Patent Lawyer - Shenzhen based
Title: Patent Lawyer - Shenzhen based; Company: Michael Page International; Experience: >5; CT Job Ref: 3013983-01#17; Date Posted: Mon, 17 Dec 2007.

3 Essential Places To Visit In Shenzhen, China
By Travel(Travel)
Shenzhen’s incredibly fast growth is the reason travel books are out of date, and perhaps Hong Kong people’s snobbishness about the city stems from a certain fear and envy of this shiny wealth center on their doorstep! …

Andy encourage photographer JC and The Warlords craze in Shenzhen
By Leonard(Leonard)
Many Hong Kong singers had their albums photographs taken by photographer JC, recently a group of friends help him to prepare Awakening Photography Exhibition which will be held from tomorrow till 4 January 2008 in Central. …

TEACH MATH IN SHENZHEN! 8000-10000 RMB\month for teaching Math ASAP
Job 20: School in Baoan, Shenzhen. (GXZZY) 8000-10000 RMBmonth for teaching Math. 16-22 classesweek. 100 RMBclass for over time. 40 minutesclass. Monday to Friday. Free housing and free meals. Roun……

Sunday afternoon, Shenzhen Public Library
Shenzhen has a relatively new public library building, a twin structure to its new concert hall, the entire complex designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. (Flickr photos of the complex here and here. …

Road Group(Shenzhen Branch)
By admin
Purple Peng (Shenzhen). Company Address:, Meisheng Industrial District,Chongqing Road,Heping Village,Fuyong Town,Bao\’an District. City/Town:, Shenzhen. Province/State:. Country/Region:, China. Zip/Postal Code: …

Shenzhen roads to be (even more) fucked in 2008

2007-12-16T04:42:23Z

Shenzhen is apparently accelerating the construction of the new lines (or trying to catch up on behind schedule projects?) meaning 2008 will see hundreds of new construction sites all opened up at the same time, unsurprisingly leading to huge transport disruption.

SHENZHEN will see about 18 months of serious traffic congestion starting from the end of this year, caused by the construction of five Metro lines in five districts.

A total of 150 construction sites will be seen around the city along the planned Metro lines, affecting traffic on 24 main roads and at 37 intersections within the Special Economic Zone, according to a government announcement published in Chinese-language newspapers yesterday.

Read the article here

The Shenzhen Metro is supposed to be all finished by 2011, with the aim to relieve pressure on the roads, where the number of cars is growing 20 percent year on year.

The 2 obvious points that seem to be missed are that:

People with a car are extremely unlikely to stop using their car and use the metro instead. Maybe in other parts of the world, but not SZ, where a car is a hard-won status symbol still. (And the new metro lines, presumably, will be like lines 1 and 4 when they opened up: 1 train going up and down, and 20 minute waits at soulless underground stations.)
The problem with Shenzhen is not really the density of traffic. You get that in any city. It’s a total lack of transport control. Almost total absence of transport police. Dangerous, rule-less driving. People leaving their cars in the middle of the highway to argue over a small scratch for two hours. Maniac bus drivers who used to drive minibuses and now drive the big ones with the same king of the road mentality.

Putting out a bulletin to warn people about transport disruption, without any description of how the disruption can be controlled, is just another example of the problem: lack of road transport control/policy.

Anyway, better stop complaining. It’ll all be fine by 2012.

More Interesting Shenzhen Numbers

2007-12-16T04:25:07Z

17,000 - foreigners living permanently in Shenzhen

430,000 - foreigners studying or working temporarily in Shenzhen

8.46 million - Shenzhen hukou holders in 2006

11 million - target limit of Shenzhen hukou holders by 2020, cha right

15 million - “warning threshold” at which “the per capita public resources will be reduced and the city’s development restrained”…
12345 - Phone number for English language hotline for laowai to whinge about lack of public services.

Shenzhen News - 8th December 2007

2007-12-08T13:40:18Z

Chinese face up to plastic-free shopping
Asia Times Online - Kowloon,Hong Kong
SHENZHEN - Shenzhen, the booming mainland China area that neighbors Hong Kong, said it is considering legislation to end the free use of plastic shopping …

Shenzhen Happy Valley to Open Magic Castle on 2008 New Year’s Day
China Travel News - Xi’an,Shaanxi,China
Shenzhen Happy Valley of Shenzhen City in Guangdong Province is pleased to open its newly-built Magic Cattle to the public on the New Year’s Day of 2008. …

“Green channel” to open between Shenzhen, HK and Macao
CCTV - Beijing,China
Travel between Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao will become faster and more convenient because of a new transport service agreement. …

Goldwind to sell 50m shares
China Daily - China
… and Technology Co, the country’s largest maker of wind-powered generators, plans to issue 50 million shares in a Shenzhen initial public offering (IPO). …

Shenzhen related blog posts:

Business Trip to Shenzhen The Chinese Way…
A couple of weeks ago my boss David Fu came up to me and asked me if I would like to help out at a fair in Shenzhen in late November. Always eager to experience new things and see more of China I happily accepted. …

Hot Jobs in Beijing， Shanghai， Shenzhen， GuangdongFull details …
LINK ESL “The One” Link ESL is a professional education organization run by native English speakers to provide one-stop service for native speakers who want to find an excellent job vacancy in China and to experience extraordinary . …

Shenzhen Labor Activist Attacked
By China Labor News Translations(China Labor News Translations)
In this issue of China Labor News Translations we offer coverage of a savage attack on November 20 against grass-roots labor rights advocate Huang Qingnan, of the Dagongzhe Migrant Workers Center, in the Long’gang district of Shenzhen. …

Tags: shenzhen, china, chinese, china+news, sz, shenzhen+news, guangdong, hong+kong

Wordpress.com Blog Posts Related To Shenzhen - Dec 07

2007-12-07T15:35:19Z

On the streets of the gadget mecca

southernstudios wrote 8 hours ago: So I made the weekly trip down to Huaqiang Bei yesterday, and checked out some of the cool gadgets … more »

byebye tokyo. hello shenzhen

southernstudios wrote 1 day ago: it was only a matter of time before china caught up to japan. tokyo might have better sushi, harajuku … more »

South East China Tour (Part — 3 comments

sheng wrote 3 days ago: the last day at China, which was a meaningless one. we spent the whole day shopping. 东门-老街. the biggest … more »

South East China Tour (Part 6) — 4 comments

sheng wrote 3 days ago: We were in Shen Zhen already. This was an amazing place - Window of the World (世界之窗) yea, you … more »

neuromancer: old school cyberpunk

southernstudios wrote 3 days ago: was talking to a friend the other day, a visiting artist from Europe about how Shenzhen China was becoming … more »

South East China Tour (Part 1)

sheng wrote 6 days ago: My parents, my sister and I joined this group of my dad’s friends and families. 22 of us went on … more »

Shanghai Bears

chinabystander wrote 2 weeks ago: The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets are now approaching a level 20% below their peak in mid-October. Such a fall … more »

Clamping Down On The Banks

chinabystander wrote 2 weeks ago: Intriguing story in the Economic Observer, as reported by the AP, that China National Petroleum Corp and Sinopec are under … more »

Huang Yongping - Bat Project

pollocksthebollocks wrote 4 weeks ago: Very interesting story of how art and politics can cross paths In 1986, Huang Yongping formed the Xiamen Dada group, … more »

Shenzhen

maralto wrote 4 weeks ago: Shenzhen é uma cidade da China com quase 10 milhões de habitantes, imaginem a população de Portugal numa só cidade … more »

Housing Bubbles in the US and China

Matthew wrote 1 month ago: Paul Krugman has a series of graphs that record the rather dramatic regional rise in US housing prices since 2000. … more »

The Happiest Place on Earth

hkdangerduo wrote 1 month ago: SHENZHEN WEEKEND: PART TWO October 21, 2007 It was some ungodly hour of the morning … more »

Escape from Hong Kong — 3 comments

hkdangerduo wrote 1 month ago: SHENZHEN WEEKEND: PART ONE October 20th, 2007 At twelve twenty five pm on Friday, the midterm season for UST Economics … more »

neoaddict wrote 2 months ago: Sep 21, 2007 4:15 AM Departed FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN 12:07 AM Arrived at FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN Sep 20, … more »

It’s the Little Things

kimhawks wrote 2 months ago: For once in my life, I actually have a fairly structured schedule. Alarm goes off at 6 AM. Moan “noooo”, … more »

Chinese Culture Tidbits

kimhawks wrote 2 months ago: I just happened to glance at one of my colleagues the other day when she suddenly started picking her nose. … more

Home (Mostly) Sweet Home

kimhawks wrote 2 months ago: If I remember correctly, experts say there are three basic stages people go through as they try to adjust to … more »

Teachers’ Day

kimhawks wrote 2 months ago: I experienced my first Chinese holiday on Monday, September 10: Teachers’ Day. I didn’t expect it to be a big … more »

‘Twas a Waiguoren in the Land of Tian Jiao — 1 comment

kimhawks wrote 2 months ago: I am the first foreign teacher that the students at Tian Jiao Primary School have had. I am probably even … more »

Featured Article: The Skyline of Shenzhen

2007-12-07T14:41:30Z

Originally appeared on www.chinainvestingadvice.com on 7/19/07
It was hot and humid outside of the Shangri La Hotel in Shenzhen last night. The smog-choked air made every breath difficult. Crowds of migrant workers filled the sidewalks while cars zipped up and down the streets urgently.

My kids and I were on our way to an Italian restaurant for dinner. After one full week of eating nothing but Chinese food, my son Sean wanted some good old-fashioned spaghetti carbonara, and my local contacts in Shenzhen had told me about an obscure little Italian restaurant hidden near our hotel.

Despite the unpleasant conditions outside, there was a chaotic energy in the air. I wasn’t the only one who could feel it—even the kids sensed the elevated energy buzzing about everywhere. All of the action, growth and ambition were easy to see. It’s obvious that the people of Shenzhen want to get rich and are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

If capitalism has a new frontier—a Wild West in the far East—Shenzhen would be it. Over the past 20 years, the former sleepy fishing village across the river from Hong Kong has became the greatest boomtown ever known to mankind. The city had less than 100,000 people about 25 years ago, but today it has a population close to 7 million, or nearly twice that of Chicago. The city also has a unique demographic structure compared with other major international cities—he average resident’s age is only 29, and women outnumber men, which is a rarity in China.

The skyline of Shenzhen

Shenzhen got its big break in the early 1990s when China’s former leader Deng Xiao-ping made a historic visit to the then-fishing village and designated the city as a special economic zone. The special economic zone status of Shenzhen gave the city’s investors special tax breaks, and soon foreign investors from Hong Kong and Taiwan flocked to the zone in droves. Shenzhen has become an important economic center for China, and today it boasts the highest per capita GDP of all major cities in the country.

For more information on Shenzhen, investing in China or Robert Hsu, please visit www.chinainvestingadvice.com.

Shenzhen News - 4th December 2007

2007-12-06T14:02:50Z

Shenzhen Bank to Raise $568 Million in Share Sale (Update1)
Bloomberg - USA
3 (Bloomberg) — Shenzhen Development Bank Co., a Chinese bank controlled by US buyout firm TPG Inc., plans to raise 4.2 billion yuan ($568 million) selling …

China to float listing boards for IT, biotech
Times of India - India
Shang’s comments made at the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Capital Forum at Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong province, suggest that the market …

Greater China stock market summary
Forbes - NY,USA
The Shanghai A-share Index fell 4.07 points or 0.08 pct to 5108.05 and the Shenzhen A-share Index was up 13.24 points or 1.02 pct at 1308.67. …

NASDAQ eyes Shanghai listing
China Daily - China
China’s growing capital market and flush liquidity situation is pushing greater demand for shares in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Shang Fulin, chairman of the …

Investors need to be realistic about returns expectations
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
… and a slowdown in China in the latter part of 2008 (no signs yet except the irrational exuberance on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges). …

China’s toddler tycoons
Asia Times Online - Kowloon,Hong Kong
By Catherine Jiang SHENZHEN - Like its economy, China’s stock market has unique Chinese characteristics. Allowing children to hold shares in enterprises and …

HK airport in talks to buy Shenzhen stake
Reuters - USA
By Joanne Chiu HONG KONG (Reuters) - Airport Authority Hong Kong is in talks to buy a stake in Bao’an Airport in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, …

Hong Kong-listed China Aerospace joins 700 mln yuan Shenzhen R&D …
Trading Markets (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA
Aerospace Technology Investment Holdings Ltd and Shenzhen Science & Technology Institute will each own 20 pct of the venture. …

Shenzhen housing market in depression
CCTV - Beijing,China
Transactions in Shenzhen’s housing market have dropped sharply since August this year. And some property dealers believe the market could cool even more …

Blog Mentions of Shenzhen:

QUALITY MANAGER (SHENZHEN)
Title: QUALITY MANAGER (SHENZHEN); Company name: SMARTECH CONSULTANTS CENTER; Qualification: University / College; Experience: 5 years; Work Location: Hong Kong; Date: 03-DEC-07.

OHIO at Splendid China in ShenZhen
At the Splendid China themepark in ShenZhen China which has small replicas of famous Chinese locations, I convinced my co-workers to show some Buckeye pride amongst the trees. by Jessica (Foster) Williams - BSME 2002.

TEACH IN SHENZHEN! 9000-10000 RMB\month.
Job 2: School in Shenzhen. (QH) 9000-10000 RMB\month. 18-22 class\week. 40 minutes\class.

TEACH IN SHENZHEN
Teach Adults in Shenzhen (XMH). 9000 RMBmonth after tax. Plus other benefits = around 11000 RMBmonth.

Test Engineer - 1 to 3 years experience, Shenzhen
By dear_dipal
Job DescriptionTest Engineer I for a Fortune 1000 company for Shenzhen, China should have good experience in semiconductor automatic test equipment (ATE) for logic or memory devices. Desired Candidate Profile …

Futian Checkpoint is Cool - Shenzhen / Hong Kong Border Crossing Made Easy

2007-11-26T17:29:22Z

What is the easiest way to get from Shenzhen to Hong Kong, and vice versa? The answer as of now is undisputably: Futian Checkpoint.

You can get to Futian Checkpoint by taking the Shenzhen Metro to Huanggang Metro Stop at the bottom of Line 4. It’s easy to cross the China / HK border inside the checkpoint building, and once on the other side you are in Lok Ma Chau KCR station.

Lok Ma Chau is the rail connection to the rest of Hong Kong. Journey time between the SZ side of the border crossing and downtown Hong Kong is about 1 hour.

That is a lot faster and less stressful than crossing at Luohu, and miles easier for tourists than negotiating the extremely hectic Huanggang coach station.

You cross the Shenzhen river on a moving walkway; the China side conveyors are usually broken or switched off, of course.

You can get good views of downtown Shenzhen from the other side of the river after crossing the checkpoint.

From the checkpoint bridge you can see the Futian Free Trade Zone and the 4 Points Sheraton Hotel.

The Hong Kong / Lok Ma Chau side of the checkpoint is being marketed as an instant cross border shopping center. At the moment it is shiny and empty with only a few shops open.

Futian Checkpoint is quiet, clean, and easy to get through. Totally the opposite of Luohu and Huanggang basically.

The Futian Checkpoint footbridge seen from the Hong Kong side.

The Hong Kong side of the Shenzhen River is just ponds and farms. An abrupt and amazing contrast to the sprawling urban development of Shenzhen.

This is where Hong Kong produces all those mosquitoes that bite us in Shenzhen.

The Futian Checkpoint seems to have been designed for a greater flow of travelers than Luohu. There are at least 50 gates, mainly for Hong Kong residents to pass through the passport control. This is particularly dumb design because most regular HK border crossers use the hand scanners and thus move quickly through. The slow ones are the “foreigners”, who need manual examination of passports and stern gazes from the police. At Futian Checkpoint, as with Luohu, there are only a handful of gates given over for foreigners, but currently it’s all good because no one seems to have found out about the checkpoint yet, and it’s so empty even at weekends you can just stroll through without queueing.

Conclusion: if travelling between HK and SZ, and you are not close to the Shekou Ferry Port, this is the no.1 best way to do it. Don’t try to get to the checkpoint by car, however, because it is crappily designed to have zero taxi access, and the whole area around is mobbed by illegal taxis, fake goods sellers, hotel room naggers (you will know them when you feel them pulling your clothes), and the local Huanggang fishnet stocking brigade. At least the HK backpackers have something they need the moment they’re across the border.