A couple of months ago, in August, I had an 18-hour layover in Shenzhen on my flight back to London. Due to bad rainy weather, the flight was delayed and I arrived at SZX airport an hour late at around 20:25. I was supposed to meet a good friend who’d just recently moved to Shenzhen for dinner, and I felt bad about keeping her waiting.
The Most Efficient Airport Experience Ever
As soon as I landed, I went straight to passport control. Because I was in such a rush to meet my friend, I was a bit flustered. There was a QR code scanner at customs control for the information I’d already filled in beforehand. I scanned it, went through passport control, and I was genuinely impressed. The entire process took just a couple of minutes and I was out of the airport.
Since I didn’t have checked luggage, I went straight to the metro which cost less than £1. Within 15 minutes, I was already in the city centre, sitting down having dinner with my friend. I couldn’t quite process it – everything happened so quickly and efficiently. Of course, I compared this to the London Underground and my commute to work, which takes an hour or more. For a 15-minute journey in London, I’d probably still be stuck on a crowded, uncomfortable Central line train, paying five times the fare.
First Impressions of Shenzhen
I was really pleased to meet my friend, but I was still processing how quickly I’d made it from the plane to dinner in the city centre – all within less than an hour. The efficiency was on another level. This was my first time in Shenzhen. I’d heard of it being China’s Silicon Valley, so I was looking forward to exploring more the next morning before my afternoon flight.
As the weather wasn’t great that night, I headed back to the hotel. The metro ride cost just £0.70, which was brilliant. Even the hotel was good value – a nice location in Futian district, big room with a double bed for only £30 a night. Everything was making me really happy.
Exploring the City
The next day, I woke up around 6am and was thankful the weather had improved. I explored a few places, starting with Coco Park. My first impression was how massive, clean, and modern it was. I then walked to Civic Center – again, absolutely massive. It took me around an hour and I still didn’t manage to explore most of it, which made me realise I needed to make the best use of my limited time.
I took another “70p metro ride” to OCT Harbour, and once again, it was massive, modern, and spotlessly clean. I instantly fell in love with this city. I spent a lovely morning exploring around Shenzhen.
The Energy That Changed My Perspective
This layover experience wasn’t like any other I’d had. The “chi” of the city – the energy and vibe – really inspired me. The efficiency and rapid development struck me, especially knowing that Shenzhen was once a fishing village and evolved into a major global city within just a few decades.
The energy of Shenzhen with its rapid growth made me realise I need to keep developing and evolving whilst I still have the chance – not just in my career but in health and all areas of life. I’d been losing motivation recently and hadn’t made much progress in the past few years because I’d got comfortable. The transformation of this city during a short layover made a real impact. The SZX chi rubbed off on me.
This experience taught me that if I can make small changes – like starting to add stretching to my routine – I still have the possibility of having good flexibility in the future. Or if I start investing small amounts now, I could still achieve financial freedom after retirement. It’s the small steps that count.
Back to Reality (and the Tube)
Of course, after I arrived back in London, I’m now sitting on the tube again, which is almost exactly the same as it was 20 years ago when I first came to London – except there’s now 4G in some stations. Still, it was an unexpected experience, and the essence of SZX chi has made a positive impact and inspired me.
Because of this inspiring energy, I’ve decided to go back. I’ve booked a flight to explore more of Shenzhen properly – not just a layover this time. I want to see more of this remarkable city. Thank you, Shenzhen, for the inspiration!
