香港到深圳！

Today was certainly an exciting day. After class, Harry took us to Yuen Long, the district that he grew up in, for a bite to eat. The restaurant was small and cramped, but really delicious. I especially enjoyed the sweet offerings, which included different varieties of gelatinous cakes. After taking the tram back to campus, some of us decided to go into Shenzhen. It turns out that the border with Mainland China is only a 20 minute bus ride from campus. After arriving at the border checkpoint, scanning my fingerprints, and chatting with a very friendly border guard, the five of us began our trip into the city. Shenzhen is a real sight to behold, the baby of Deng Xiaoping’s Reform and Opening Up and Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. I am very interested in this political period, so being in Shenzhen after a very important year of politics in China was even more special. It was also interesting to compare our impressions of the city. Zihan, Tongyu, and I agreed that Shenzhen felt a lot more “中国“, while RB said that very little distinguished the city from HK. I think we all noticed some clear differences: hearing Mandarin instead of Canto, seeing lots of bikepaths and ofo, squat toilets, etc. But I also believe there’s a difference that is indeed “felt” and very difficult to articulate. I look forward to exploring Hong Kong further, and also thinking more about the many differences between these two beautiful cities.