EASTER TRAVELS
Perspective
The tension generated by President Trump’s speech to. the nation at the beginning of an Easter weekend (see my earlier Substack) got me to thinking of what others might be doing for the short American Easter weekend,
That got me to thinking about Hong Kong.
With a tip of the research to The South China Morning Post, my own experience is that Hong Kongers, with a mainland Chinese neighbor just a short subway/walk across the border, or 14 minute train trip (every 15 minutes) can change economics, and cultures; and yet technically never leave China. So while some of us “stew” as the US administration confuses and frightens us, what are Hong Kongers doing?
This year 8%. almost 600,000) of Hong Kong’s 7,000,000+ population are making the cross-border trip to neighboring Shenzen (population 10 million) during this Easter weekend. . This is an example of scale and efficiency that is a lesson in understanding what “size matters” means.
Hongkongers crossing border for Easter break wowed by new Shenzhen tech museum
(SCMP}
Hongkongers crossed the border into Shenzhen in droves on the second day of the Easter holiday on Saturday, drawn by a wider range of bargain-priced shopping, dining and entertainment options, as well as new landmark attractions including a futuristic tech museum.
While bracing for heavy rain, many travellers cited mainland China’s broader selection of shopping centres and restaurants, along with more affordable prices as key draws. Some also said neighbouring Shenzhen boasted fresh cultural and leisure complexes rarely found in Hong Kong.
Immigration statistics on Saturday showed that 532,023 residents had departed Hong Kong as of 9pm, including 405,805 who left via land border checkpoints with the mainland and another 65,518 by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
Among popular spots is the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum, a new futuristic landmark in Guangming district that opened in May last year.
Housewife Teresa Lau took her parents and her 12-year-old daughter, a Form One pupil, to the museum to learn about the country’s technology developments, which was one stop during their two-day trip to Shenzhen.
“I often took my daughter across the border to visit various museums to broaden her horizons,” she said, adding that they had also been to the Shenzhen Museum before.
Hongkongers also flocked to popular shopping centres for food and bargains.
Grace Chu and four other friends visited the Coco Park shopping centre in Shenzhen’s Futian district to watch the newly released film Game of Identity and for a taste of good food.
The 32-year-old bank employee said they crossed the border to watch the movie that was not screened in Hong Kong, while Shenzhen also offered dining options such as hotpot at lower prices, adding that they preferred trying eateries only found on the mainland.
Chu also said they enjoyed massage services in Shenzhen the day before.
“We took advantage of the Easter break to enjoy the new movie and a wide range of dining choices here in Shenzhen,” she said.
Also at the shopping centre, clerk Alice Lo, 42, and her six-year-old daughter were shopping for merchandise of animated musical urban fantasy film KPop Demon Hunters at a pop-up store.
Lo said she took her daughter on a three-day trip to Shenzhen, along with her sister, brother-in-law and their two children.
Yana Yan Chi, a staff member working at the pop-up store, said the number of Hongkongers more than doubled on the first day of the Easter break on Friday to about 100.
“There is a sharp increase in people from Hong Kong coming here to shop for goods,” she said.
Hong Kong residents get a five-day Easter holiday this year from Friday, as the break coincides with the Ching Ming Festival, which falls on Sunday.
It is hard/impossible to avoid comparisons and questions about how two different societies and cultures develop and evolve. This Easter comparisons I is oversimplification if too much is made of it. Yet if the diversity of choices in this Asian example with the Passover/Easter experience of 2026 in the USA are considered, the question of values cannot be avoided.