London gets a link to Shenzhen, China's Silicon Valley

The new route could also be an alternative to flying direct to Hong Kong

Cathy Adams
Wednesday 31 October 2018 13:02 GMT
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The UK gets its first link with Shenzhen, known as the Silicon Valley of China, today.

The Shenzhen Airlines flight, which will fly three times weekly from London Heathrow, will take almost 100,000 passengers a year to China’s megacity just across the border from Hong Kong.

Shenzhen, a city of 12.5 million people, has long been China’s factory floor, attracting migrants from across the country. The megacity is also a growing tech hub, with high-profile Chinese companies Tencent and Huawei based there.

Shenzhen is also a burgeoning creative hub: at the end of last year, Design Society, an arts complex that marked the V&A Museum’s first international outpost, opened in the Shekou neighbourhood. The city’s cutting-edge Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning Exhibition (Mocape) and regenerated industrial art district OCT Loft also lend it a creative flair.

The new Shenzhen flight more than doubles Heathrow’s current capacity to China. Heathrow has 11 direct routes to China, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Qingdao. The cities of Chongqing, Wuhan, Sanya, Changsha, Xian and Shenzhen were added this year.

The new route could also become a viable alternative to flying direct to Hong Kong from the UK, as Shenzhen is just a short ferry journey or train ride across the border into the former British colony, although a Chinese visa is required.

The Shenzhen link comes as Lonely Planet ranked the city second on its list of top 10 cities to visit in 2019, after Copenhagen.

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The new route also adds cargo capacity. Heathrow’s latest Trade Tracker Report shows that exports to China via Heathrow have grown by 330 per cent over the last year.

“This year, we have focused on strengthening Heathrow’s role as the UK’s gateway for Chinese trade, commerce and tourism,” said the airport’s chief commercial officer Ross Baker.

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