Have you checked out Seaworld? It's down in Houhai. There are a bunch of spots there. I haven't checked it out on a Tuesday.

Keep in mind, many Chinese people are on vacation for the holiday, so you may see more people out there on a Tuesday than you normally would, same with Coco.

Well, the closest metro to my apartment is Hou Hai - from there to seaworld is still a good ten to fifteen minutes by taxi depending on traffic. Seaward is all the way down at the bottom of Shekou. Hou Hai (后海）or the coastal city area, is six stops or so further north on the orange line, closer to Nanshan and fewer train stops to Windows on the World than to Seaward, though it an interesting enough spot to check out just on its own. Huge outdoor/indoor mall with some of its own nightlife (Boom Boom room, which I haven't been to) and some sports bars and the ubiquitous Chinese coffee shops.

Just dropping in for a bit of an update on SZ logistics. Line 11 to the metro opened on June 28th. That line runs from Futian station, through Nanshan, past my spot near Hou Hai, and then all the way north through Bao'an, past the airport and beyond to Songgang.

The point of this is that this express train has now connected a much larger portion of the city, heavily populated, to the city center south of the Futian metro stop (which is a few minutes from the much heralded and overrated Coco Park, considered by main to be ground zero for foreigners in SZ (apart from Shekou/ShuiWan/Sea World in Southwest Shenzhen).

As a result of this line opening up, suddenly there are many more areas that are palatable as places to live in SZ, for those who are looking for bargains. For sure, prices on SZ apartments close to Hong Kong are among the most expensive in south China (rentals and purchasing), and the desire of most is to keep commutes to desirable areas like the ones I mentioned above within reason.

The hi-speed metro (which I've yet to ride, but which my girl took back to Bao'an yesterday) apparently is cutting that time of travel substantially, which makes Bao'an more worthy of consideration for guys coming over on a tighter budget. The cost of apartments in those areas is often one-half or less than similar apartments in the city centers, and with the advent of DiDi Che and Uber in Shenzhen, even getting home after the metro closes isn't as costly as it had been before (on relative terms to the low costs of other things). My girl's brother's landlord did hit him up to increase the rent in his two bedroom place immediately upon the opening of the metro, so I'm sure over time, the rents will increase given the new ease of commute (again on a relative basis). Still, if you've been sitting on the sidelines wondering what kind of life you can try to make for yourself as a SZ based expatriate, apartments in Bao'an, with decent amenities, are as low as 300/USD per month, in spots near line 11. We'll see how that adjusts over time, but its worth considering, even for a several month trip to dip one's foot in the waters of China.

Quote: (06-29-2016 05:37 AM)Global Entry Wrote:  

Just dropping in for a bit of an update on SZ logistics. Line 11 to the metro opened on June 28th. That line runs from Futian station, through Nanshan, past my spot near Hou Hai, and then all the way north through Bao'an, past the airport and beyond to Songgang.

Do you have a map / drawing of this line? I can't seem to find it on maps, but if it cuts through Nanshan that may be good for me. Looks like an express line to Futian.
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Quote: (07-27-2016 07:41 PM)Cyclone Wrote:  

Quote: (06-29-2016 05:37 AM)Global Entry Wrote:  

Just dropping in for a bit of an update on SZ logistics. Line 11 to the metro opened on June 28th. That line runs from Futian station, through Nanshan, past my spot near Hou Hai, and then all the way north through Bao'an, past the airport and beyond to Songgang.

Do you have a map / drawing of this line? I can't seem to find it on maps, but if it cuts through Nanshan that may be good for me. Looks like an express line to Futian.
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http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p340/...0f571d.jpg



According to the description, it should be the dark purple line, entitled "Airport Line."

Click the link to get the full-sized image.

Yeah. Home prices are skyrocketing all over the city. My landlord tried to gouge us for an extra 1000RMB last month all because of the new line that isn't even opening until later this year. We told her to fuck off and found a bigger 2 bedroom place with a great view for 500 less than what she wanted for the one bedroom we were in.

Honestly Shenzhen is a bit of a boring shithole.

I don't know why people are forking out 3000-5000 RMB a month for one bedroom in a shared flat to live in the place. It's not even worth it. Idiots that are new to China that coming here in large numbers and plunking down whatever money the landlords ask for, which encourages them to charge even more. ESL teachers spending 75% of their salary on fucking rent lol.

Gee your such a font of information. Where have you been, actually, around Shenzhen to opine on a city of 15,000,000 so succinctly. I'm not saying its the garden spot of the universe, but I think, having been around in many parts of China, it compares favorably to cities like Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and other places foreigners are settling. If one is not an English teacher (or is tutoring part time to augment income), spending 3000 - 5000 or more per month won't hurt so badly - by the way, the standard ESL salary is around 12,000 assuming no experience/extra credentials, so you might want to check your math.

Aside from that, its probably the best economy in China, so economic opportunities for people who aren't ESL teachers (and even for those who are, as people spend a lot her getting their kids laught english) are quite good.

But you're right. I suggest Henan or Anhui provinces for you, you can definitely find a nice cheap place.

Edit - you're the same guy spewing (and I use that word purposefully) wisdom on Kai's Dating data sheet about how knowing Chinese is useless for dating chinese ("Speaking Chinese doesn't mean jackshit") women in China. The one sending racy pics and expecting SNLs off tantan? No wonder you find Shenzhen so boring.

Quote: (08-05-2016 11:54 AM)Mr. Scumbag Wrote:  

Honestly Shenzhen is a bit of a boring shithole.

I don't know why people are forking out 3000-5000 RMB a month for one bedroom in a shared flat to live in the place. It's not even worth it. Idiots that are new to China that coming here in large numbers and plunking down whatever money the landlords ask for, which encourages them to charge even more. ESL teachers spending 75% of their salary on fucking rent lol.

Quote: (08-05-2016 11:54 AM)Mr. Scumbag Wrote:  

Honestly Shenzhen is a bit of a boring shithole.

I don't know why people are forking out 3000-5000 RMB a month for one bedroom in a shared flat to live in the place. It's not even worth it. Idiots that are new to China that coming here in large numbers and plunking down whatever money the landlords ask for, which encourages them to charge even more. ESL teachers spending 75% of their salary on fucking rent lol.

I'm curious why you think it's boring? What area are you living in? Nothing to go on historically if that's your thing, but everything else seems more than adequate in Shenzhen. Plus Hong Kong is just a short ferry ride away, Guangzhou is two hours, beaches (not the greatest) aren't too inconvenient to reach either. If you think it's boring, well to each his own, but I can't imagine Shenzhen ever being considered a shithole.

Mr. Scumbag, It's really interesting how you have suddenly become the expert on all things Shenzhen. Just a few days ago you were asking us for tips on securing bangs off tantan. When we told you learning Chinese would help you acted really condescending towards Atlant.

Now you suddenly are calling ESL teachers stupid because they pay 3000 rmb for rent. Dude, 3000 rmb a month to live in a nice area isn't that bad at all. I live in a pretty sick spot with tons of restaurants and stuff and I pay 2800. My apartment is small but comfortable and it's super close to work and the gym.

ESL teachers typically make 12,000 base and most (smart ones, at least) rent a spot near their job and have a roommate and end up spending 2000 a month on rent. Not to mention, they usually only work around 20 hours a week. So 80 hours of easy work for around 2000 USD. Not bad at all.

The even smarter ones rent an apartment with two rooms and run small group English classes in that extra room and make serious cash. Like a couple of thousand USD a month teaching 10 more hours a week but you wouldn't know that because you're too busy looking down on people. Or they study something and develop new skills and start making serious money doing something else on top of English teaching.

Not every english teacher is that smart, but a lot of the guys are hustlers so it doesn't make much sense to hate on them.

I like living in Shenzhen. I can meet some seriously connected dudes just hanging out at bars and talking shit and buying drinks. I've had a lot of cool opportunities come my way. I have some part-time gig right now making me enough cash to cover my rent and still have some change left over.

Getting laid here is virtually a non-issue, the weather is good, food is abudant and cheap and internet purchases are delivered quickly and without hassle. What more do you really need? Instead of whining about how bad and boring shenzhen is, how about you get on wechat, join a few groups and meet up with people at organized events.

Honestly, I have more shit than I have time for in shenzhen. I'm REALLY finding it hard to believe you're bored.

There are A LOT of fun groups doing cool shit. I just browsed my phone and saw a surfing group, board games, group, winetasting and fine dining group, player's group ( ), crossfit and fitness group, bodybuilding group, salsa dancing group, electronics maker group and many more.

It takes minimal effort to join one of these groups, meet up with the leader of the group and find yourself in the midst of a cool, new social circle. Even my lazy ass can pull that off.

Quote: (08-13-2016 11:07 AM)Fortis Wrote:  

Mr. Scumbag, It's really interesting how you have suddenly become the expert on all things Shenzhen. Just a few days ago you were asking us for tips on securing bangs off tantan. When we told you learning Chinese would help you acted really condescending towards Atlant.

Now you suddenly are calling ESL teachers stupid because they pay 3000 rmb for rent. Dude, 3000 rmb a month to live in a nice area isn't that bad at all. I live in a pretty sick spot with tons of restaurants and stuff and I pay 2800. My apartment is small but comfortable and it's super close to work and the gym.

ESL teachers typically make 12,000 base and most (smart ones, at least) rent a spot near their job and have a roommate and end up spending 2000 a month on rent. Not to mention, they usually only work around 20 hours a week. So 80 hours of easy work for around 2000 USD. Not bad at all.

The even smarter ones rent an apartment with two rooms and run small group English classes in that extra room and make serious cash. Like a couple of thousand USD a month teaching 10 more hours a week but you wouldn't know that because you're too busy looking down on people. Or they study something and develop new skills and start making serious money doing something else on top of English teaching.

Not every english teacher is that smart, but a lot of the guys are hustlers so it doesn't make much sense to hate on them.

I like living in Shenzhen. I can meet some seriously connected dudes just hanging out at bars and talking shit and buying drinks. I've had a lot of cool opportunities come my way. I have some part-time gig right now making me enough cash to cover my rent and still have some change left over.

Getting laid here is virtually a non-issue, the weather is good, food is abudant and cheap and internet purchases are delivered quickly and without hassle. What more do you really need? Instead of whining about how bad and boring shenzhen is, how about you get on wechat, join a few groups and meet up with people at organized events.

Honestly, I have more shit than I have time for in shenzhen. I'm REALLY finding it hard to believe you're bored.

There are A LOT of fun groups doing cool shit. I just browsed my phone and saw a surfing group, board games, group, winetasting and fine dining group, player's group ( ), crossfit and fitness group, bodybuilding group, salsa dancing group, electronics maker group and many more.

It takes minimal effort to join one of these groups, meet up with the leader of the group and find yourself in the midst of a cool, new social circle. Even my lazy ass can pull that off.

Gonna have to agree, Shenzen is a pretty solid deal for a place of its size, and it's very expat friendly while still having enough Canton flair. I don't really get why someone would say Shenzen is a shithole unless they were expecting the lights and grammar of a tier 1 city, in which Shenzen is not nor is it advertised as such.

I've passed by Shenzen while I stayed in Hong Kong, and it was perfectly fine. 3000 RMB isn't bad rent at all...that's closer to 25% of what a rookie ESL teacher would make as opposed to 75% as what was originally claimed.



Out of curiosity, how is the night life there? Are the bars good for meeting ladies?

ITT people taking a guy with 18 posts seriously

Of all the cities in China I have been to, Shenzhen is the only one I would consider living in for any length of time.

The Shenzhen guys (Fortis, Global Entry) know this, as we have talked about it. This statement is for any of the other guys who might consider feeding some Troll for fun.

You find Shenzhen boring?
Try going to a city like shenyang in the north where it's cold half of the year

Quote: (08-13-2016 05:40 PM)Heart Break Kid Wrote:  

I've passed by Shenzen while I stayed in Hong Kong, and it was perfectly fine. 3000 RMB isn't bad rent at all...that's closer to 25% of what a rookie ESL teacher would make as opposed to 75% as what was originally claimed.



Out of curiosity, how is the night life there? Are the bars good for meeting ladies?

Good question.

So, it is a well-known fact that I don't enjoy night game in Shenzhen, BUT I think night life can be fun and you can use it to get laid if you're crafty and patient.

You can go to Cocopark and fight over leftovers with the other laowai, or you can organize night outs with groups of friends and stuff. This strategy is superior, especially if you have cool Chinese bros who will bring girls to hang out. Obviously, you don't wanna use your boys like that, but you can easily say "Hey guys, let's grab a table at that bar in Coco park. You bring some friends and I'll bring some friends."

I've had friends invite me to these types of night outs. I arrived thinking it was going to be some shitty sausagefest but my Chinese (and foreign) friends ended up bringing a solid amount of girls and guys. I was pleasantly surprised. Not to mention, girls get curious when they see big mixed groups of Chinese and foreigners hanging out and having a good time and they will get curious and inevitably raise a glass in your direction while drinking. You can easily walk over and open those tables (even if there are guys present) and see what's up.

I think social circle reigns supreme with Chinese people and Chinese girls. I don't know too many super attractive chicks who are hitting up the bars late at night looking for dick, but if you get a big gathering of people together you give the girls a bit of plausible deniability.

I think suits and Arado both enjoy throwing parties at their apartments and inviting tons of guys and girls. Again, the same logic is at play: the group is mixed so a cute, shy Chinese girl won't feel like she is being seen as some foreigner-fucking slut because she's going there to hang out with friends, after all.

The best part about doing these sorts of things is that they can become a weekly ritual with some planning. There was a certain group that would do gatherings like these every week and they had a respectable turnout. I think they all knew what those meetings were for but it was always done under the guise of having fun.

Now, I know that sounds like a lot of work, but that is just one such strategy that I think is smart.

I know guys who hit up clubs and dance and pull girls that way, but I don't really have any experience with that given that I'm not a club guy.

Hopefully that helps.

Quote: (08-13-2016 11:07 AM)Fortis Wrote:  

Mr. Scumbag, It's really interesting how you have suddenly become the expert on all things Shenzhen. Just a few days ago you were asking us for tips on securing bangs off tantan. When we told you learning Chinese would help you acted really condescending towards Atlant.

Now you suddenly are calling ESL teachers stupid because they pay 3000 rmb for rent. Dude, 3000 rmb a month to live in a nice area isn't that bad at all. I live in a pretty sick spot with tons of restaurants and stuff and I pay 2800. My apartment is small but comfortable and it's super close to work and the gym.

ESL teachers typically make 12,000 base and most (smart ones, at least) rent a spot near their job and have a roommate and end up spending 2000 a month on rent. Not to mention, they usually only work around 20 hours a week. So 80 hours of easy work for around 2000 USD. Not bad at all.

The even smarter ones rent an apartment with two rooms and run small group English classes in that extra room and make serious cash. Like a couple of thousand USD a month teaching 10 more hours a week but you wouldn't know that because you're too busy looking down on people. Or they study something and develop new skills and start making serious money doing something else on top of English teaching.

Not every english teacher is that smart, but a lot of the guys are hustlers so it doesn't make much sense to hate on them.

I like living in Shenzhen. I can meet some seriously connected dudes just hanging out at bars and talking shit and buying drinks. I've had a lot of cool opportunities come my way. I have some part-time gig right now making me enough cash to cover my rent and still have some change left over.

Getting laid here is virtually a non-issue, the weather is good, food is abudant and cheap and internet purchases are delivered quickly and without hassle. What more do you really need? Instead of whining about how bad and boring shenzhen is, how about you get on wechat, join a few groups and meet up with people at organized events.

Honestly, I have more shit than I have time for in shenzhen. I'm REALLY finding it hard to believe you're bored.

There are A LOT of fun groups doing cool shit. I just browsed my phone and saw a surfing group, board games, group, winetasting and fine dining group, player's group ( ), crossfit and fitness group, bodybuilding group, salsa dancing group, electronics maker group and many more.

It takes minimal effort to join one of these groups, meet up with the leader of the group and find yourself in the midst of a cool, new social circle. Even my lazy ass can pull that off.

Gonna have to agree, Shenzen is a pretty solid deal for a place of its size, and it's very expat friendly while still having enough Canton flair. I don't really get why someone would say Shenzen is a shithole unless they were expecting the lights and glamor of a tier 1 city, in which Shenzen is not nor is it advertised as such(I suppose it depends on how you define tier 1).

I've passed by Shenzen while I stayed in Hong Kong, and it was perfectly fine. 3000 RMB isn't bad rent at all...that's closer to 25% of what a rookie ESL teacher would make as opposed to 75% as what was originally claimed.



Out of curiosity, how is the night life there? Are the bars good for meeting ladies?

Boring person finds place boring. More news at 11.

Shenzhen is advertised as a first tier city, only, IMO, I don't think it has anything worthwhile to warrant the cost of living and rent prices (which is on par with Shanghai and Beijing), other than its close proximity to HK. I've had more than a few Chinese girls bitch to me about how expensive it's becoming.

Admittedly, I've never spent more than 1-2 weeks at a time there. Living there long-term, personally it's not really for me. Too hot and humid, and it rains a lot. The best nightlife spot seemed mainly confined to Coco Park. I'm sure you could venture out to other districts and go to all-Chinese clubs, but you may or may not run into xenophobic locals or have problems with the language barrier.

Maybe I went too far calling it a shit hole. It's a nice city by Chinese standards, with less pollution than other cities and the occasional clear blue skies. Those groups and all those activities sound pretty good for someone who's living there long-term, and if I were to live in Shenzhen, I'd partake in them. Fortis, it sounds like you've been living there a decent while now and have carved out a niche. Kudos.

FYI, most ESL teachers I've met don't aspire to much of anything. They make their 10-15k RMB a month, and spend most of it on partying and trying to get dem Chinese girls. They live paycheck to paycheck, and pay outrageous prices to live in shitty apartments in bad areas. I just don't understand why.

Alright cool. No problem. It just seemed like you were being a bit harsh between this thread and the other one.

Now, you are right about one thing: SZ is becoming more expensive. If you live near that new metro line, your rent price will jump up significantly, so you need to be careful.

Me? I live in one of the hidden nice areas in northern Nanshan, so I get away with paying 2800+utilities. But this is hard to find and I admit that.

I do agree that most ESL teachers are lazy cucks who are 1 disaster away from being homeless, but a lot of them are smart and hustle hard, so I'm always like "guys, stop hating."

I also used to be an ESL teacher, so I have some skin in that game.

Anyway, I think you should spend more time in SZ before you throw it under the bus. I'll be 100% honest: you can look back in this thread and see how hard of a time I was having back when I came here. I'll never deny that fact, but I'm having a good time now.

I went back home to NJ a few weeks ago to visit friends and family and do some visa work and I am even more certain that SZ is an awesome city after going back to the truly boring wasteland that is NJ.

I think a lot of this is contingent upon coming to SZ with a goal in mind. Me? I was 26 last year so I knew I couldn't come here and waste my time fucking around. Don't get me wrong, today I'm going to hit the gym, take a bunch of naps, prep meals and talk to some friends, but the other 6 days a week I'm up at 5am-6am and studying or working on a new hustle.

All that said, China is NOT for everyone and I warn dudes about that. I'd strongly suggest visiting SZ for a few weeks before making plans to move here. I went YOLO and showed up last year and it all worked out. Looking back, I very well could have crashed and ended up back home.

By the way, you may find your time on this forum better spent with a bit of a better attitude. As far as I know nobody has ever met you, your username is "Mr. Scumbag" and your avatar is flipping everybody here off.

@ Fortis

Your comment you made about having a difficult time when you first arrived. But, your having a good time now. What changed? Building a social circle?

^ That and acclimatizing to living in China.

I was not prepared at all for SEA living. I also found the girls super difficult because they're not slutty in the same way as girls back home. Dating is slower-paced but more certain. I was not ready for that.

If you go back a bunch of pages in this thread you'll see what I mean. Try to find the posts from around June 2015. Funny shit for sure.

^ I can't believe I missed this thread somehow. Cortis, you seem like a funny motherfucker man. Epic!!!

You so handsome...walk away....lol

Sz sounds like a cool place to visit for a couple months. Not to expensive, pretty woman and safe. I'm shocked you got your wallet back with everything still in it. Glad to hear to.

Also, I'll be leaving at the end of Nov. To start my new life as an expat. Not sure were I'll end up. Maybe just bounce around for awhile being a vagabond. I have a love for asian women. So, I was thinking Vietnam and after reading about your adventures probably hitup China to.

How are your winters? Is Nov or Dec. Bad or good time to visit?

Haha, Thanks man. I have my moments for sure.

Nov and Dec aren't bad at all in Shenzhen. If you go further up north you get some seriously cold winters.
I would recommend October since college is in full swing and all the girls are back from their hometowns. Don't get me wrong, lots of girls are here currently and you'll have fun, but if you wanna see Shenzhen talent, hit up shopping park in Futian and walk around.

Global Entry and I were hanging out there one day and we both agree that the girls you see walking around during the day are surprisingly awesome. It's not like America where you'll see full-sleeve tattoos and sweat pants. Chicks are going about their days in heels, dresses and perfectly done hair. Makes you feel good just looking at them. I think they're much better looking than the chicks you'll run into at night.

I think he and I saw a chick with a tattoo on her arm and we were like .

Luckily, those girls are pretty damn rare, so don't worry.

I'd be careful about coming in late January/early Feb because everyone goes back to their hometown for the Spring Festival, so you'll be dealing with a much quieter Shenzhen. There will still be foreigners running around, but the city empties out pretty hrad.

If you do come around that time, make sure to carry a lot of cash since ATMs run out of money because people aren't around to stock them.

some of you might have heard of him, but to those who are new to him
,he is the vlogger from a south african living in SZ for the past 10 years, the vast experiences he accumulated could potential give you guys a good knowledge of how living in SZ is all about.

btw, recently he just quit his job and experimenting himself as full time youtuber


hope you guys find this video useful