My Shekou Photo Album

Situated on the Pearl River of southern China,Shekou is around 20 kms from downtown Shenzhen, the country's booming town bordering Hong Kong. It's also where China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone, China's first out-oriented Special Economic Zone,is headquartered. Established by the Qing Dynasty Government in 1782,China Merchants Group is currently one of the biggest State-owned conglomerates based in Hong Kong. Nowadays Shekou has become one of the city's major scenic spots drawing not only tourists,but also home buyers because of its small-town feel that you won't find in other coastal cities in China. Besides, starting up a business in this area, you will benefit from local resources at low rates. Get no idea where to find out some employees speaking bilingually ? Contact China Merchants Nanhai Oil Service Office,a locally reputable service provider specialized in offering skilled workers from across the country especially for foreign-funded firms. In addition, the office also deals with Entry Visa,Employment Permit, Residence Permit including Working Visa for aliens employed here in the city. Think globally but reach locally. You ask about the climate ? Well, it's mild and warm:the average low temp in Jan is about 16 degrees C

Shekou (Chinese; pinyin: Shékŏu; literally "Snake's Mouth") is an area at the tip of Nantou Peninsula in Shenzhen, Guangdong, southern China, south of NantouLau Fau Shan of Hong Kong across Deep Bay. and facing

It was formerly a customs station in Bao'an County and now belongs to Nanshan District of Shenzhen. On 31 January 1979, it became Shekou Industrial Zone developed solely by China Merchants of Hong Kong, earlier than the formation of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

Since the 1980s, after foreign oil majors such as Agip, Chevron, Texaco, StatoilHydro and Shell obtained concessions for oil exploration in the South China Sea, Shekou started serving as a base for a small contingent of foreign oil platform workers, since qualified personnel were not available locally. As a result of this first mover advantage in catering for mainly western tastes in housing, food and drink, entertainment and schooling, at a time when no alternatives were available in the area, Shekou gradually became home to the majority of the expatriate population working in and around Shenzhen and part of its hinterland in the Pearl River Delta. This trend has however abated after 2003, as the country's continued economic reform, development of the Nanshan and Futian areas, and substantial increases in English levels of university graduates have made life in the city proper more acceptable to many foreigners without school-age children.

In 2003, the local government, seeking to capitalize on the foreign flavor of the town, invested in a complete make-over of Sea World, turning it into a western-style entertainment area centered around the grounded Minghuaship, a 14,000 ton, 168 m long vessel built in 1962 as French president Charles De Gaulle's private yacht, and purchased by China in 1973.

An extensionto line 2 of the city's subway connecting the locality to downtown Shenzhen is under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2009.