0YRS
Since the SEZFrom special zone to APEC host city.
APEC 2026 / HOST CITY
22.5431° N · 114.0579° E
22.5431° N · 114.0579° E
Leaders' Meeting · 18–19 Nov 2026
A visitor field guide / 深圳城市指南
SHENZHEN.
the future,
already here.来了，就是深圳人
already here.来了，就是深圳人
A city that went from border town to blueprint in one lifetime. Fast hardware, slow dim sum, a coastline that never leaves the frame. Welcome to the APEC host city.
--Days
--Hours
--Minutes
--Seconds
TO THE LEADERS' MEETING
01 / The city
Forty-six years from village to vertical.
In 1980, this was a border town of thirty thousand. Then China drew a circle around it and called it a laboratory.
Today, 18.2 million people live here — and the experiment hasn't slowed down. There is no old town to flatter you with history. Shenzhen's history is the speed at which it makes new ones.
Population velocityOne lifetime. One exponential curve.
1980 · c. 30,000 people2025 · 18.2 million people
not to scale.
nothing about this city is.
nothing about this city is.
0M
ResidentsOne of China's youngest megacities.
0
ParksA skyline built inside a garden.
0%
Electric busesThe first major city to fully electrify its fleet.
02 / Five sectors
One city. Five frequencies.
Scroll to shift sector
01 / 05
02 / APEC 2026 logo
The Kunpeng that flies for 21.
Legend says the Kunpeng — a primordial bird — flies between the northern and southern oceans and makes 90,000 li in a single beat. The 21 feathers of this host logo are not random: each is one APEC economy, distinct in colour, joined at the wing.
Chengyu Fu, the designer, says the gradient (orange → red → blue → cyan → green) traces a complete day — sunrise, noon, river, sea, forest. For a city of 20 million that grew from a fishing village in 45 years, the metaphor writes itself.
The "21 interwoven feathers" also map to the 21 member economies of APEC 2026. Open for business, one wing at a time.
Source: APEC 2026 Host Committee
apec2026.cn ↗
03 / The pulse
The future ships from here.
Shenzhen doesn't demo the future. It builds it, prices it and puts it on a boat. Three systems do the heavy lifting — and they share the same supply chain.
AI compute
Robotics
Clean energy
Autonomy
Low altitude
Synthetic bio
01 / IntelligenceAI
AI, stacked
in silicon.人工智能
Huawei's Ascend compute and Tencent's Hunyuan models are made here, with the Pearl River Delta acting as the factory floor. Chips, servers, models and deployment sit within one taxi ride.
02 / MachinesRobots
Robots that
leave the lab.机器人
Nanshan's Robot Valley packs humanoids, drone makers and industrial arms into a few square kilometres. Prototype on Monday, tooling by Friday — that is the local advantage.
03 / Clean powerEnergy
The grid runs
on electricity.清洁能源
Shenzhen put its entire bus fleet on electric in 2017 — the first major city to do it. Sustainability here is industrial policy: electrify the fleet, then export the technology. BYD's Pingshan base builds the batteries, buses and cars.
Case files / 现场案例
Not concepts. Operating.
06 live systems
Checked Oct 2026
Checked Oct 2026
Case / 01 · Low altitudeLIVE
Delivery by air无人机配送
0flights
Meituan · Longhua · Jan–Aug 2026
A working drone network, not a demo: 26 take-off points across Longhua and a network of 15 air nodes. Delivery range has stretched from 3 km to 5 km — over the traffic instead of through it.
Case / 02 · AutonomyLIVE
The robotaxi that pays自动驾驶出租车
¥0/ day
Pony.ai Gen-7 · Nanshan · 2026
Fully driverless, 24/7, in the Nanshan high-tech district. In February 2026 the Shenzhen fleet turned its first monthly unit profit — proving the economics, not just the demo.
Case / 03 · HumanoidsSHIPPING
Humanoids on the line人形机器人
0units
UBTech Walker S2 · end-2025
The 1,000th Walker S2 left the line before 2025 ended. UBTech is targeting 10,000-unit annual capacity in 2026 — the killer app is a boring factory shift, not a stage stunt.
Case / 04 · EnergyLIVE
The nine-minute charge兆瓦闪充
0min
BYD megawatt station · Longhua
BYD's 10,000th flash-charging station opened in Longhua in August 2026. At megawatt power, a car gets close to a full charge in about nine minutes — petrol-stop timing.
Case / 05 · Operating systemLIVE
An OS with its own orbit鸿蒙生态
0M devices
HarmonyOS 6 / 7 · Sept 2026
Built in seven years: 85 million devices and 11 million registered developers. Shenzhen is the home base of a mobile ecosystem that did not exist a decade ago.
Case / 06 · Synthetic biologyRUNNING
The bio-foundry合成生物
0islands
Guangming Science City · SynBio facility
Forty automated work cells run around the clock in Guangming — the world's largest bio-foundry. It designs cells the way a chip fab designs circuits: standardised, automated, repeatable.
0%
R&D / GDP · 2024Highest intensity among Chinese cities; spend ranked second nationally.
0
PCT patents · 2025International filings, a proxy for how much of this leaves the country.
0%
Funded by companiesMost R&D money comes from firms, not the state.
HQ · Longgang01
Huawei
Networks, phones, cloud and Ascend AI compute.
HQ · Nanshan02
DJI
Drones for film, farms, survey crews and rescue teams.
HQ · Pingshan03
BYD
EVs, electric buses and batteries — built in-house, end to end.
HQ · Nanshan04
Tencent
WeChat, games, payments and the Hunyuan model family.
2nd HQ · Nanshan05
ByteDance
Douyin's second headquarters and a ByteDance AI lab, under construction.
HQ · Nanshan06
UBTech
Walker humanoids and service robots, shipping from Shenzhen.
Data: Shenzhen Statistical Bulletin 2025 · PCT annual report
Not a pitch. A supply chain.
04 / Fuel
Order like you live here.
Shenzhen's food is Cantonese at the foundation, migrant-city everywhere else. Start with these five, then follow the queue.
F / 01
Har gow
The dim sum benchmark: a translucent shrimp dumpling with a pleated back. If the skin is thick, order another basket somewhere else.
Where / Luohu teahouses, before 10 a.m.4 pieces
F / 02
Roast goose
Lacquered skin, dark meat, a pool of jus. Ask for the leg and a bowl of rice. This is not a starter; this is the reason you came.
Where / Cantonese roast shops, citywideOrder the leg
F / 03
Beef hotpot
Chaoshan-style. Different cuts, seconds each. The broth is a clock — don't walk away.
Where / Nanshan & Shekou
F / 04
Rice roll
Made while you wait, steamed in a drawer, folded around egg or shrimp. The cheap breakfast that keeps the city moving.
Where / Street stalls, before 10 a.m.
F / 05
Sweet soup
Mango, pomelo, sago, coconut. Shenzhen's air-conditioning for the soul, served after midnight.
Where / Dessert shops after dinner
Say it / 开口Six phrases. Zero accent required.
你好nǐ hǎoHello
谢谢xiè xieThank you
不要辣bú yào làNo chili
买单mǎi dānThe bill
多少钱duō shǎo qiánHow much?
地铁站dì tiě zhànMetro station
Tipping: not expected. Round up if you loved it.Tap water: boil or buy bottled.
05 / The wild side
A megacity that remembers it's tropical.
Shenzhen grew fast, but it didn't pave everything. There are 1,350 parks, a mangrove wetland on the edge of downtown, and a peninsula of beaches to the east.
The skyline is only half the story.Mangrove Park
Downtown birdwatching. A wetland on the city's doorstep — winter is migration season.
Dapeng Fortress
A 600-year-old walled garrison town. Narrow lanes, old trees, seafood kitchens.
Xichong Beach
Clear water and a long curve of sand. Best on weekdays; check the tide.
06 / 48-hour protocol
Two days. Two versions of Shenzhen.
APEC is the reason you're here. This is the reason you'll come back. Pick a day, then use the map as a loose script — not a schedule.
ROUTE / DAY 01NOT TO SCALE
Selected stopDim sum, first
LUOHU · 08:00
08:00
Luohu · breakfast
Dim sum, first
Start slow in an old-school teahouse. Order har gow, rice rolls and a pot of tea. The city can wait twenty minutes.
10:30
Futian · Huaqiangbei
The electronics bazaar
The market that wired the world. Go for components, stay for the theatre: stalls, repair benches, prototypes that don't have a name yet.
13:00
Nanshan · lunch + coast
Coast and coffee
Lunch in Nanshan, then walk Shenzhen Bay Park. The waterfront is the city's living room — bicycles, picnic blankets, a skyline doing its thing.
17:30
Nanshan · Talent Park
Talent Park sunset
Get here before the light drops. The skyline turns from glass to gold to electric, and the whole bay seems to lean in.
20:00
Shekou · Sea World
Harbor dinner
Seafood, cold beer, sea air. Shekou runs at a softer tempo than the rest of the city; end the day here and let it.
Move: metro + DiDi. Buy a one-day metro pass or scan with Alipay.Ends: Shekou waterfrontAPEC DAYS · Nov 17–19 — CEO Summit (17–18 Nov) + Leaders' Meeting (18–19 Nov) run in Shenzhen. Partial road closures on some main arteries, viaducts and tunnels are expected. Schedules and alternate routes will be published 1–2 days ahead on the official Shenzhen traffic channels.
09:00
Dapeng · fortress
Walls and lanes
A 600-year-old garrison town, still lived in. Walk the wall, duck into courtyards, and look for the trees growing out of stone.
12:30
Dapeng · seafood lunch
Whatever came in
Point at the tanks, ask for steamed, and keep it simple. The coast does the seasoning here.
14:30
Dapeng · Xichong
Beach mode
Swim, walk the curve of sand, do nothing with intent. Weekdays are quieter; bring cash for the little stalls.
18:30
Futian · Civic Center
Skyline night walk
Back to the vertical city. Walk the civic axis, look up, and watch the towers switch on one by one.
21:00
Futian · dessert
Sweet finish
Mango pomelo sago, cold. The correct full stop for a two-day city.
Move: DiDi or a hired car to Dapeng; metro back in the evening.Ends: Futian skyline
07 / Field notes
Land. Pay. Move. Connect.
The practical stuff, without the brochure. Shenzhen is easier than its reputation — if you set up two things before you fly.
N / 01
Arrive
SZX is roughly 30–45 minutes from Futian by metro or car. High-speed rail from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Futian takes about 14 minutes. Ferries connect Shekou with Hong Kong and Macau.
N / 02
Pay
Link a Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly — QR works almost everywhere. Metro: every gate on all 17 lines accepts contactless UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, Amex and JCB, so you can tap straight through. Buses: use a UnionPay card, Shenzhen Tong or a transit QR code. Carry a little cash for the gaps.
N / 03
Move
The metro is fast, cheap and bilingual — tap your own card at the gate, no ticket machine needed. Buses are cheaper but need UnionPay, Shenzhen Tong or a QR code. DiDi is the local ride-hailing app and has an English interface. Avoid rush hour if you can; the city is wide.
N / 04
Connect
Buy an eSIM or turn on roaming before arrival. Some global apps are restricted on local networks. Download Amap (Gaode) or use Apple Maps for navigation.
N / 05
APEC days
Expect security checks around venues. Carry your passport, allow extra time, and keep your hotel address in Chinese on paper and on your phone.
N / 06
Help
Police 110 · Ambulance 120 · Fire 119. The city hotline is 12345. Hotels can usually help with translation; screenshots work better than accent.
Crossings / 口岸
Seven ways in.
One never closes.
Border crossings to Hong Kong, with published hours. Queues move — check live status before you commit.
New hall · opened 12 Oct 2026
Huanggang 皇岗
The rebuilt hall runs 24 hours for travellers and coaches, every day of the year. Mainland and Hong Kong clearance sit under one roof, so you walk one hall instead of two. The old temporary passenger hall and the Lok Ma Chau passenger terminal no longer handle passenger clearance. Late flight, early meeting, no problem.
24hPassengers & coaches
旅客及客车
旅客及客车
Luohu罗湖
06:30 — 24:00
Metro-linked; the busiest foot crossing.
Futian福田
06:30 — 22:30
About 14 minutes by high-speed rail from West Kowloon.
Shenzhen Bay深圳湾
06:30 — 24:00
Coaches and cars; the HK Airport link.
Liantang莲塘
07:00 — 22:00
Eastern crossing; coach links into Kowloon.
Shekou蛇口
07:00 — 22:30
Ferry terminal to Hong Kong and Macau.
Airport机场
Flight hours
International arrivals at SZX; immigration follows the flight board.
Also: Shatoujiao 沙头角 · Wenjindu 文锦渡 — check hours before you go
Port office ↗
Pre-flight / 06 items
Pack the boring stuff.
Verify / official sources
Rules change. Check the source.
This guide is independent. APEC schedules, entry rules and venue access can change at short notice — use the official links before you travel.
Visa-free transitEligible travelers · 240 hours
China's 240-hour visa-free transit is available at Shenzhen ports for eligible nationalities and routes. Rules depend on your passport and itinerary — verify with the National Immigration Administration before booking.
APEC Business Travel Card5-year multi-entry · 21 economies
ABTC holders enter each APEC economy without a visa for up to 60–90 days per trip. Apply in your home country — eligibility targets business managers and frequent travellers. Does not cover tourism; pure leisure trips still need a normal visa.
08 / Your move
Come for APEC.
Stay for the city.
The meetings end. The city doesn't. Leave a day on either side of the summit — order dim sum, ride the coast, and let Shenzhen surprise you at street level.
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22.5431° N / 114.0579° E
SHENZHEN · GUANGDONG · CHINA
SHENZHEN · GUANGDONG · CHINA
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