My stomach sinks, and the pressure in my left ear rises as our plane starts to descend. Lush green mountains appear through my small rectangular window as the pilot lines up our 737 to land at Hong Kong International Airport — the estuary glimmers in the morning sunlight.
Our destination is Shenzhen, but flights from San Francisco to Hong Kong are easier on the wallet. I quickly pass through customs and into the main terminal.1 The ceiling is high, and the room is bright. I can hear chatter in numerous languages. Being in a place where people converge from all over the world is comforting. The ample open space and flowing natural light sharply contrast the muted San Francisco airport I left 13 hours ago.
As I step out of the airport, the air is thick and moist with humidity. Growing up in coastal Alabama, humidity and heat used to feel like quicksand, but now it gives me an enveloping sense of comfort. The 1990s model cabs that Hong Kong is known for are queued up with a seemingly infinite flow of travelers embarking to their destinations — the flow is rhythmic.
The windows are down, and a warm, humid breeze blows through as we ride towards Shenzhen in the back of the cab.2 It feels good to be back. Out the window, I see families on the hillside laying offerings at their ancestor’s gravesides — we are arriving during the Qingming Festival. Cruising over Shenzhen Bay Bridge, I see the iconic “bamboo building.” I’m captivated by the contrast of the mountains cloaked in subtropical vegetation against the backdrop of the glass towers jutting out of the horizon.
We soon arrive at Shenzhen Wan Port customs. Even though Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in 1997 after decades of British colonial occupation, it’s still required to go through customs to enter mainland China. There is an endless flow of Hongkongers entering Shenzhen to shop, do business, and travel, and people from Shenzhen returning. It feels comforting to hear the melody of Mandarin and Cantonese all around me, even though my comprehension is limited. It rekindles the nostalgia of my first solo trip to Lanzhou almost 20 years ago.
I hand over my passport to the straight-faced customs official with nervous apprehension. My body relaxes as my passport is stamped, and I pass through. My nervousness isn’t warranted, but when you long to be somewhere so intensely, the mind can wander to distant corners. We emerge, and the warm, moist air saturates my soul and coats my face. The line to catch one of the ubiquitous electric cabs snakes around the corner but moves briskly. Next stop — drop our bags at the hotel.3 Then comes one of the most consequential decisions of the trip — where to have our first meal.
NOTES
1Hong Kong airport boasts around 220 luxury shops and small stores selling local snacks, and there are around 60 restaurants selling everything from Shanghainese, Cantonese, Ramen, Sushi, Western fare, milk tea, and coffee. We love everything about the Hong Kong airport except the food options. While most people from the U.S. will be impressed with the number of restaurants, our preference is for food from Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Guizhou, Hunan, etc., and food from these regions is absent.
2There are at least three ways to get from Hong Kong to Shenzhen; you can read about them in the Travel China Guide. (1) When I travel with Jie, we usually take a cab to Shenzhen Wan Port customs because it’s relatively cost-effective when traveling with more than one person, and it’s easy to exit the airport and hop in the cab. (2) Another option is to take the Airport Express to Hong Kong Kowloon Station and then take the high-speed train to Shenzhen. I usually return on the train because I like to take my time leaving since I want to savor as much of China as possible before returning to SF. Another benefit of taking the train is that the customs entry point at Kowloon Station is usually less busy than at Shenzhen Wan Port. This may be because Shenzhen Wan Port has a bus terminal that many locals use to travel between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. (3) A third option is to take a ferry, which we haven’t done, but I’m told it is the most efficient way. I will try it on my next trip and update this post.
3I discuss where we usually stay and how hotels in China compare to U.S. hotels in the next post.