Visting some of China's biggest cities – Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing

Shenzhen

It’s nine in the evening. Our senses are assaulted by a combination of the brightest neons, heady scents of grilling delicacies and a cacophony of chatter, laughter, and song.

This is Dongmen in Shenzhen on the South China Sea. More on the street scene in a moment.

Shenzhen is a modern miracle. Previously a fishing village opposite Hong Kong, it’s been around for 45 years, a decade longer than Modi’in, Israel’s planned city. While Modi’in’s population has grown from zero to 100,000, Shenzhen’s has reached a staggering 22 million.

Twinned with Haifa, the Chinese city covers an area three times larger than Tel Aviv and appears to work with incredible efficiency; from rail to recycling, it all seems so smooth.

From an upper-floor window in the city’s plush Langham Hotel, Ryan Zhou, from the Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, points out some city highlights and as with all our stops on this trip, there are always lots of statistics to take in. On the horizon lies the world’s fourth-largest port. The city has almost the same GDP as Israel or Austria, and there is a park no more than a 15-minute walk away from every residential building.

Homes here are built on top of one another. It’s the only way the city can develop. With a commitment to 50% green areas, planners had to reach for the sky. Many people means a lot of everything: food, transport, education and waste.

The transport system is nothing short of remarkable. By 2035, there could well be pilotless helicopters taking people about their business. There are already 900 autonomous taxis on the roads. To get the public to buy into the idea, these rides are currently free of charge.

THE SHENZHEN Urban Transport Planning Center, which has a joint venture with Israeli technology company Hailo, enjoys a bird’s-eye view of pretty much everything that affects above-ground transportation. The center is at the cutting edge of the automation of urban technology and deals with issues such as: When should this traffic light turn red? Should we construct another highway directly above the existing one? How can we make traffic development 20% more efficient?

On July 12 this year, the Shenzhen metro ferried a record number of passengers – more than the entire Israeli population. Managers say 97% of residents live no more than a kilometer away from any one of the underground’s 393 stations on 17 lines. The company also constructed and manages the existing red line on the Tel Aviv light rail.

The city takes the environment seriously; all public vehicles are electric. The big Shenzhen name in the business is BYD, or Build Your Dreams. The firm’s BYD Atto was the best-selling model in Israel in 2023, to say nothing of huge sales across China and increasingly around the world.

Just outside the port is another green venture. The Nanshan Energy Ecological Park, opened last year, turns household waste into electricity. The visitors’ center includes art installations made from recycled goods and a chance to see the control room in real time. The ecological park can process over 2,300 tons of domestic waste per day.

Once you know all this, it makes visiting the city fascinating – spotting autonomous cars, enjoying the plentiful green spaces, and taking a metro trip.

THE LARGE and excellent Shenzhen Reform and Opening Up Exhibition Hall gives an understanding of the incredible journey the city and province underwent over almost four decades, since 1988. The displays offer a glimpse into why growth was deemed necessary and how industrialization changed Shenzhen forever.

Another way to get an understanding of the place, capped off with phenomenal views, is by visiting the Free Sky indoor observation deck on the 116th floor of the Ping An Finance Center – the world’s fifth-tallest skyscraper. Shenzhen spreads out below to the sparkling sea, with Hong Kong on the horizon.

Back on ground level, the city offers visitors the Splendid China Folk Village, Window of the World – where mini versions of global landmarks appear side by side with beautiful beaches, a dragon dancing show, and much more.

But the real pleasure comes in Dongmen. It is riotous, noisy, and a wonderful insight into how Chinese families and young people enjoy city life. Dancers, singers, and raconteurs vie for followers and likes as they live stream their talents from a pedestrianized street. Others film them on their phones before heading to the myriad eateries and clothing stores – all extremely reasonably priced.

Shanghai

A change of scenery and a short flight to a warm welcome in a new city. Straight to a meeting with vice president of the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Fu Jihong, who uses a popular Chinese proverb that translates as “Better than reading 10,000 books is traveling 10,000 miles.” It’s a wise proverb.

Sitting in the impressive wood-paneled meeting room, while escaping the humid 39°C (102°F) heat, Fu relates two important facts about Shanghai. First, it is a city of records: China’s most populated city, the world’s largest port and the biggest metro system on the planet.

Second, it is a city of partnerships. Shanghai, like Shenzhen, is twinned with Haifa, presumably because they are port cities, but Fu believes the Shanghai-Israel partnership is deeper. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Premier Xi Jinping on a visit to China in 2017 that the relationship was a “perfect marriage.” Seven years on, the marriage is still going strong, despite not always seeing eye to eye on every subject.

When Netanyahu came to Shanghai, he visited the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum – a must see for any visitor to the city. Situated in the Hongkou district of the city, the building is part of the Tilanqiao historic area, next to the Ohel Moshe Synagogue, which is currently undergoing restoration.

The museum tells the story of Jewish Refugees to Shanghai after the Evian Conference in 1938 closed the escape route for most Jews fleeing Eastern Europe. With the help of friendly diplomats including Chinese First Secretary to Vienna Ho Feng-Shan, posthumously awarded the title of Righteous of the Nations by Yad Vashem, 20,000 Jews sought refuge in Shanghai. They joined the few thousand wealthy Bagdahdi Jews, such as the Sassoons, Hardoons, and the Kadoories who had come to invest in Shanghai, and a community of European Jews that had fled the pogroms of the early 20th Century.

AS YOU walk through the museum exhibits, you learn how the refugees acclimatized and about the hardships they faced after the Jewish community was moved into a ghetto by the Japanese army in 1941 as 20-million Chinese were killed around them. That story is brought to light by exhibits donated by former refugees, such as pop-artist Peter Max and former US Treasury secretary Mike Blumenthal. In the courtyard, a memorial with the names of those who fled to Shanghai is a fitting place to end the tour and reflect on the lives that were saved.

All around the city, the influence of the Jewish community can be seen in its buildings, and that relationship has continued as the city has grown to become one of the five largest city economies in the world and the generator of 10% of all of China’s GDP.

As you stroll down the pedestrianized section of Nanjing Road shopping street at the junction with The Bund, you see tourists taking pictures of The Fairmont Peace Hotel. The building was formerly called Sassoon House and was one of the first skyscrapers in the region built nearly a century ago. Turn your eyes right, to Huangpu River and you can see all of today’s mega-skyscrapers such as the 128-floor Shanghai Tower and the bottle – opener – styled Shanghai World Financial Center. To appreciate the old and the new together, complete with animated lights, try a river cruise down the Huangpu.

The modern relationship between Israel and the People’s Republic is embodied at the China Israel Innovation Park, in the Putuo district. Built around a culture center which includes some truly interesting exhibits – such as Mao Zedong’s book in a Hebrew translation commissioned by the Histadrut Trade Union – there are 50 Israeli-Chinese ventures.

These range from 3D scanners that can bring NBA stars to life to bicycle-frame design in lightweight materials. Originally from Israel, Roy, the CEO of Gaiyo Design, appreciates the support for his business and the integrated supply chain that China provides.

LIFE HAS changed dramatically over the last four years. The COVID restrictions meant that the Jewish/Israeli community shrank significantly and those who remain are finding the Gaza war has affected their business relationships in China.

In a turn-of-the-20th-century building in central Shanghai, you can visit the museum of time-honored brands – a chance to look at the consumer history of China. One of the companies is Bright Food, a dairy company that also owns the majority share of Israeli dairy brand Tnuva.

Another site to visit, if you have time, is the Port of Shanghai. The deep-sea port is accessed by a 32-km. bridge from the mainland. The port company also manages the new Haifa Bay Port. If you get the opportunity to visit the company’s HQ, please don’t be put off by the strap line around the building of the new port, which moved from the Yangtze River into the East China Sea. No offense is meant when it says “From the river to the sea”!

And don’t forget the shopping. As well as the many malls, great places to visit are Yu Gardens and the City God Temple surrounded by sympathetically-built shopping lanes. When your bags are full and you’re ready to move on to Beijing, check out the bullet train which will take you to the country’s capital in around four and a half hours.

Beijing

When you step off the train in Beijing, one of the main similarities to Shanghai is the mating call of the cicadas in the trees. But Beijing has a different aura. It has the history of a capital city, with older buildings and a central business district whose skyscrapers are less prominent. The tourism sites here are at the very least world famous: The Great Wall, The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

The Great Wall is a must. Its main section, stretching over 8,000 km. (5,000 miles), it is one of the seven modern wonders. The Juyongguan section is a short drive from Beijing and offers the possibility of accessing the wall at a level that suits all visitors. It’s a relatively easy five-minute climb to platform seven. There are steeper climbs up to platform 12, but not attempt them if you have heart or breathing problems, particularly in the summer. If you have the energy, there is a 4-km. loop to walk. If all you want is to simply enjoy the moment, the arrival level still has breathtaking views, a museum, and even a McDonald’s.

Back in the central Dongcheng district of the capital, you find Beijing’s most famous site, The Forbidden City. The 15th-century royal compound is the largest palace in the world, spread over 72 hectares (178 acres) and was the center of power in China until 1920. Guided tours of the palace must be booked in advance to make sure you have an entrance ticket, given the daily limit of 30,000 visitors.

Your guide will bring to life the 800-plus buildings in the compound, from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where the emperor used to hold court, to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, where meetings were held with the Grand Council. A guide can illustrate the history, the intrigue, the scandals and murder plots, the feng shui of the central path, the yin and yang of the building materials, and even the superstitions behind the buildings’ dimensions.

IN FRONT of the Forbidden City is Tiananmen Square, the entry plaza to the Gate of Heavenly Peace. It is the focal point for the People’s Republic of China, where Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the republic, in October 1949. At the other three sides of the square are The Great Hall of the People, where the legislature is held, The National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. Every morning at sunrise there is a ceremonial flag raising, which offers Chinese style pomp and ceremony.

If you need a break between walking through squares and climbing walls, you can go to the Chaoyang Theater, sit back, and watch as acrobats jump through flaming hoops, climb to the top of a stack of chairs, stage a traditional lion dance, ride motorcycles inside a giant sphere, and perform unbelievable contortion acts.

At the end of your stay in China, don’t forget to take home a gift.

The Hongqiao Market is a famous eight-floor market, famed for selling pearls. It is alleged to have been a favorite haunt of Margaret Thatcher. The market is also a great place to buy jade, electronics, luggage, souvenirs, and even custom-made suits. Haggling is expected and is usually very good natured. A 50% discount on the original price is not an unreasonable request.

Beijing’s main shopping street, Wangfujing Street, is vast with more than 250 stores, numerous malls and side markets. There used to be a famous snack street to the west of the main drag, where you could see exotic fare such as scorpions, starfish, and grubs, as well as the more typical noodles and dumplings. Now, a smaller food court can be found at nearby Donghuamen Street. Try the Durian fruit, it is famed for its smell of sewage but when baked with a little cheese, tastes similar to leek.

China is huge. Like other countries, it faces serious challenges – environmental, developmental and well-publicized political matters. But for the average tourist, a nine-day trip, taking in three fascinating and very different cities is a truly unique experience.

Marvel at the cutting-edge technology of Shenzhen, the world records of Shanghai, and the stunning historic architecture of Beijing. But above all, interact with the people. A smile goes a long, long way here. As does a really good translation app.

Show some warmth, and you’ll get a whole lot of love in return.

Mark and David host The Jerusalem Post Podcast – Travel Edition. They were the guests of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.