Shenzhen, 7 June 2007

After a relatively eventless ferry journey from Hong Kong Airport to Shenzhen Shekou harbour, I found myself stepping into a rainy day outside the harbour terminal. And a taxi driver promptly engaged me in a conversation trying to obtain my ridership. When I mentioned that I needed to get to a certain hotel, he responded with RMB 200 for the pleasure of the ride. Were it not for the alert that I had received from my colleague who works out of China, I would have fallen for it, particularly since the driver pleaded that the rain was a factor in his assessment of the fare. He eventually accepted RMB 30 as satisfactory fare.

The first thought that came to my mind as we drove into what probably is downtown Shenzhen is that the general appearance is not much different from a similar modern city in India except, of course, for the language in which signs will greet you. (I compare China to India because I was born in India).

The number and height of the skyscrapers dotting the landscape is an indication of the impact Shenzhen has on China and the rest of the world.