By Oscar Liu
Hundreds of Hongkongers have crossed the border for the July 1 holiday, with many favouring the Heung Yuen Wai checkpoint due to its convenient transport links and easy access to shopping centres in Shenzhen鈥檚 Liantang district.
Residents streamed into Shenzhen via the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point on the 28th anniversary of the city鈥檚 return to Chinese rule on Tuesday.
Among them was security guard Cheung Ming-fung, 68, who relished the cheap commute between his home in Sheung Shui and Shenzhen.
鈥淲e can take a bus to Heung Yuen Wai for just HK$2 [25 US cents] with the JoyYou card and arrive at Liantang. The round trip just costs us HK$4 each,鈥 Cheung said, referring to the HK$2 public transport fare concession scheme for residents who are elderly or have disabilities.
Cheung said his wife preferred departing from Heung Yuen Wai when visiting relatives, citing the immediate access to facilities after clearing customs on the mainland side of the border.
Stock trader Michael Wong Ka-chun, 36, also picked the crossing due to its 鈥渄irect access to people and vehicles鈥.
鈥淚 can simply drive, park and take an escalator directly to immigration here. This is much more convenient than the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint, where I have to park and then transfer to a 鈥榶ellow bus鈥 to reach Huanggang,鈥 Wong said.
He added Shenzhen鈥檚 allure continued to be strong, offering a refreshing change of pace and an escape from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.
鈥淗onestly, the July 1 discounts and perks aren鈥檛 that attractive. I hate being stuck when I have a day off,鈥 Wong noted, referring to the citywide celebrations that included dining deals at more than 3,800 Hong Kong restaurants, free museum visits and tram rides, and discounted tickets for major attractions.
鈥淗ong Kong simply can鈥檛 beat the value in Shenzhen in terms of dining and entertainment.鈥
Student Peter Shum Siu-fan, 18, rode his bike with three friends from Sheung Shui to Heung Yuen Wai on Tuesday.
鈥淚鈥檝e cycled almost everywhere in Hong Kong, and it鈥檚 become a bit repetitive. So my friends and I recently started exploring cycling routes in Shenzhen,鈥 Shum said.
The Heung Yuen Wai control point has a wide customs channel, so he and his friends can push their bikes across the border to Liantang, then explore the surrounding cycling paths.
Since it opened for passenger clearance in February 2023, the checkpoint has seen significantly heavier traffic than anticipated. It was the first control point designed for direct access by people and vehicles and was built to handle about 30,000 daily passenger trips.
According to official statistics, the checkpoint handled 17,479 departures and arrivals on its first weekend of operation in February 2023.
But by September 2024, it was recording an average of about 70,000 cross-boundary passenger trips each day. On weekends and public holidays, that number was even higher, with over 80,000 passenger trips made daily, according to Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung.
The HK$33.7 billion facility is equipped with 14 e-channels for departures on the Hong Kong side. By contrast, Liantang Port on the Shenzhen side has about double the number of e-channels.
Operations at the control point were smooth on the morning of the July 1 holiday, despite the heavy traffic.
Gary Zhang Xinyu, a member of the Legislative Council鈥檚 transport panel, said the heavy cross-boundary traffic underscored the urgent need to fast-track planned upgrades for the city鈥檚 border control points.
鈥淚t鈥檚 likely that various government departments are currently working together to find ways to shorten the entire border crossing process, focusing on improving this crucial efficiency,鈥 he said.
Zhang also addressed the public鈥檚 desire for the operating hours at the Heung Yuen Wai checkpoint to be extended, noting that while Hong Kong was keen on this, the decision primarily rested with mainland authorities.
The control point operates from 7am to 10pm daily, a shorter operating window compared with other major land border crossings.