WTF Is A Shenzhen 'Urban Village'? Your Day Trip Into The Maze!
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Sure, here's the translation of the given text into English:
Great! This brief overview of Shenzhen has been absolutely packed with fascinating details! Let me help you organize it all, and for those foreign friends who might be intrigued to visit Shenzhen:
I arrived in Shenzhen around 3 PM in the afternoon, heading straight for the youth hostel I had booked. I must mention that the atmosphere at this hostel was undoubtedly one of the best among those I've experienced! Although the room conditions were typical — nothing extraordinary, — it doesn't seem to have dampened the welcoming spirit of the people there who were easy to get along with.
During my stay, I met a young woman who lives there permanently and works as a designer. She and her boyfriend work at the same company. Listening to her vent about her job woes, she told me her company planned to pay her only once in the entire year of 2024 – not a single other salary payment! Additionally, she herself still owes unpaid wages and is forced to work late into the hours of midnight. The company is quite small, consisting of only four employees, including the boss himself. Calculating roughly their total monthly expenses on salaries and social insurance for the workers (which companies are required by law to provide for their employees in China), the annual total would barely exceed 50,000 RMB. Yet, the boss still tries to cut corners, even withholding several thousand yuan in unpaid wages — such behavior is beyond unacceptable! I advised her to use "ride the donkey while looking for a horse" strategy of secretly job hunting while still at her current place of employment. Truly, working individuals are living a tough life these days...
While casually exploring certain “gated villages” (Chéngzhōngcūn) with a Chinese friend: “Gated villages,” in Chinese, refer to special communities formed within the rapid urban development of a city, where previously existent rural areas are wrapped by surrounding high-rise buildings. They usually feature densely crowded houses at relatively low rents.
(1) Cháguāng Village:
- Right off the bat, I could tell that Cháguāng Village perfectly lives up to its description online: I've never laid eyes on so many closely-packed high-rise buildings as in this village! There’s almost no separation between the residential buildings themselves, really.
- It is a large village with an incredible population, one can easily imagine hundreds of thousands residing within.
- Sunlight is an absolute rarity within the narrow alleys, which are perpetually humid, and suffocating. I found myself wondering what kind of conditions one might find inside the rooms.
- Cautionary note: The alleyways are maze-like, if you happen to rent a house here in the morning, you could potentially get lost while returning in the afternoon! Be particularly wary if you are not naturally good at navigating. However, there was a large park on the route leading to Cháguāng Village, which proved enjoyable.
(2) Zhūguāng Village:
- Not nearly as crowded and claustrophobic as Cháguāng Village.
- After visiting Cháguāng Village, this felt like heaven! Although there’s also a distinct lack of sunlight, the alleys seemed less suffocating.
- Wondering how soundproof the rooms there are...
(3) Báishízhōu:
- By the time we entered Bai Shi Zhou, night had already fallen and we ended up having dinner nearby.
- Taking a photo at the entrance where you could see spacious housing outside, while directly behind lies a prominent amusement park of significant size (popular among tourists, probably right by 'Windows of the World' or 'Happy Valley' — both famous attractions in Shenzhen) with adjacent modern buildings. Life here indeed feels convenient.
- Cautionary notes: Considering the proximity to amusement parks and shopping complexes, will the area become too noisy in the evening?
(4) Nánshān Village and Nánguāng Village:
- Nánshān Village and Nánguāng Village, in contrast look much more opulent with grand entrances at the opening of the settlements.
- Strolling through in the late evening, wow, numerous food stalls lined the streets waiting to feast on the tasty cuisine.
- Caution: While the convenience brought forth from all these food stalls in Nánshān Village and Nánguāng Village is welcome, noise or cooking fumes could be potential nuisances, especially for those residing upstairs! Comparing to these villages, I started to cast doubts over whether ‘white stone village’ I saw before was indeed located correctly? because it was clearly a different vibe.
Dining Struggles in Shenzhen:
Initially aiming to savor local Guangdong specialties such as “noodle sheets cooked in rice and rolled into a cylindrical shape” (literally translated as “Intestine Rice Roll”) and Guangzhou-style sweet soup.- However, after wandering for a while, I didn’t manage to find a single noodle sheet store to satisfy my craving!
- A plethora of Chinese restaurants could be seen all along. But they’re all crowded with long lines of customers, despite the wait no other choice but to fill my tummy with some uncharacteristic Hunanese dishes (even though I’ve traveled an incredibly long route just to try some Guangdong food!).
- Sadly, no sweet soup restaurant found as well (really bad luck, a food fanatic like myself!).
- So, after hard efforts, I finally managed to find a bowl of sweet soup from 10 minutes biking on a shared bike, and got my wish granted!
Flight Misadventure P.S.:
In a twist of fate, my flight to Qingdao was unexpectedly canceled while waiting at the airport. Despite the queue preparation to board had already started! Is Shandong Airlines, (a Chinese airline), up to something at this labor holiday in May (a vital public holiday in China)? And the weather in Qingdao was beautiful according to the forecast. I truly feel sorry for those passengers who intended to return home or went out for a vacation then.
Hope that translation meets your needs!