Letters | What Hong Kong can learn from child-friendly Shenzhen

Readers discuss the Shenzhen government’s intiatives to improve the city, and the effect of an influx of tourists on ordinary people’s lives

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A boy plays chess with a robotic arm powered by artificial intelligence at a Sam’s Club in Qianhai, Shenzhen, on January 7. While Hongkongers are showing great interest in heading north to shop in megastores, Shenzhen also offers some lessons in urban planning. Photo: Eugene Lee

Published: 11:30am, 6 Feb 2024

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During the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers went north of the border, including to Shenzhen, to eat, drink and play at relatively low cost.

Shop owners in Hong Kong could only complain about the comparatively small inflow of mainland visitors during that stretch and cast looks of envy at the north.

Shenzhen has always taken the long-term view on development. For example, back in 2015, the Shenzhen government was the first in the country to propose developing a child-friendly city systemically. It had a slogan, “Seeing the city from the height of 1 metre”, indicating that Shenzhen should be designed from the perspective of children.

In 2018, the Shenzhen government issued a child-friendly city development plan for 2018-2035. As of 2023, Shenzhen has built about 340 child-friendly facilities, 720 community childcare centres and 1,150 baby care rooms covering almost all public places in the city.

I have been to several big shopping centres in the different districts of Shenzhen, such as Nanshan, Baoan and Longgang. They all have nice places for children that are not only safe but also entertaining, creative and educational. Children can play there for the whole day and it saves parents the trouble of wondering where to go with the kids.