Planning a move
Is Shenzhen right for you? Test the life before making the move
A practical way to weigh the job, the neighbourhood, the budget and the ordinary weekday behind the skyline.
Read articleTHE LIFESHENZHEN JOURNAL
Your next chapter
in Shenzhen.
Thinking of moving? Just arrived? Make the next decision easier with practical reads on finding a home, getting settled and enjoying life here.
START WHERE YOU ARE
A good read. A clearer next step.
01
I’m considering the move
Weigh the city, the costs and the routine before committing.
Explore the decision →02I’m getting settled
Sort your first week, find a home and get the essentials working.
Make a settling-in plan →03I’m making Shenzhen home
Build everyday routines, find your people and enjoy the city.
Find your rhythm →A SMARTER START
Before you make the move
Planning a move
Budget for your first 90 days in Shenzhen, not just the rent
Separate monthly spending, arrival costs, deposits and reserves so a promising move works in cash as well as on paper.
Read article
Planning a move
Your first week in Shenzhen: connect your phone, payments and address
Set up the essentials in a useful order, while keeping accommodation registration, banking and immigration documents separate.
Read articlePRACTICAL IDEAS FOR REAL LIFE
Find your next read
21 articles
Planning a move
Is Shenzhen right for you? Test the life before making the move
A practical way to weigh the job, the neighbourhood, the budget and the ordinary weekday behind the skyline.
Read articlePlanning a move
Budget for your first 90 days in Shenzhen, not just the rent
Separate monthly spending, arrival costs, deposits and reserves so a promising move works in cash as well as on paper.
Read article
Homes & neighbourhoods
Choose your Shenzhen neighbourhood by the journeys you will repeat
A station name is only the beginning. Test the building entrance, the transfer, the school run and the journey home before choosing a base.
Read articlePlanning a move
Your first week in Shenzhen: connect your phone, payments and address
Set up the essentials in a useful order, while keeping accommodation registration, banking and immigration documents separate.
Read article
Homes & neighbourhoods
The Shenzhen rental viewing: what to check before paying
Inspect the home, establish who can let it, and turn promises about repairs, furniture and the deposit into a usable record.
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Family & health
Arrange your healthcare basics before you need an appointment
Find the right booking route, check your cover and keep a small medical information file during your first month in Shenzhen.
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Money & work
A Shenzhen job offer: the questions to settle before you accept
Check the actual employer, work-permit plan, pay, benefits and daily working arrangements behind an English-friendly vacancy.
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Everyday life
Build an everyday life in Shenzhen, one useful routine at a time
Find the groceries, journeys, language habits and recurring activities that make a new city feel manageable beyond the arrival checklist.
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Planning a move
Landing in Shenzhen: make the first evening easy
Arrange the small things before you fly, then choose a route that works for your luggage, your arrival time and your energy.
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Explore Shenzhen
Before you book the ferry: choose the right port
Shekou, the airport pier and Hong Kong’s SkyPier are not interchangeable. Start with the destination you actually need, then build the rest of the day.
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Everyday life
Find your Shenzhen sports routine before buying a membership
Start with the journey and the activity you actually enjoy. Then test access, equipment and the full cost before signing up.
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Money & work
The Shenzhen tourist tax refund—without the airport panic
The ¥200 threshold, the 8% and 11% rates, twelve instant-refund points and the five departure ports where the paperwork becomes money again.
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Planning a move
Before HR clicks Submit: China’s new entry rules
A plain-English check of the national regulation taking effect on 15 September—what applicants, inviters and service providers actually need to know.
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Family & health
The Shenzhen school application pack
Build one secure master file before the schools begin requesting the same passport scan in eight subtly different ways.
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Family & health
Tour the school, not the brochure
A parent’s scorecard for looking past the polished lobby and asking what an ordinary Tuesday will actually feel like.
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Planning a move
Pack it, ship it, or buy it again?
A luggage audit for deciding what flies, what ships and what does not deserve international freight because you once liked it.
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Homes & neighbourhoods
The 72-hour neighbourhood test
Before signing, test the commute, the building and an ordinary Tuesday—because every neighbourhood behaves beautifully in a listing.
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Money & work
Starting a company—without the expensive surprises
A practical founder’s route through scope, ownership, registration, banking, tax and the small matter of being legally allowed to work.
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Explore Shenzhen
48 hours in Shenzhen, no car and no heroic suffering
A relaxed Metro-first weekend through Futian, Nantou, Shekou and Shenzhen Bay—with strategic breaks for food and tired feet.
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Explore Shenzhen
When should you visit Shenzhen?
A season-by-season guide to walking weather, beach days, summer humidity and why the live warning page always gets the final vote.
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Explore Shenzhen
Shenzhen after dark: what kind of night are we having?
Pub chat, live jazz, skyline cocktails or a dance floor with opinions? Pick your mood—then check what is actually happening tonight.
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TURN READING INTO A PLAN
Put your ideas to work
Budget with your real numbers
Compare the costs that matter to your household.
Build a budget →Find your neighbourhood
Start with your commute, priorities and daily routine.
Explore the areas →Compare school options
Look at the campus, entry route and full annual cost.
Compare schools →Follow the moving roadmap
Work through the move one practical step at a time.
Plan your move →Photography & editorial notes
Articles are published under the Editorial Author byline. Publication dates belong to each story; existing articles retain their original dates. Photographs show the places named in their captions.
- Houhai and Talent Park at dusk, September 2020. Photo: Charlie fong · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shenzhen Civic Center and the Futian skyline from Lianhuashan Park, September 2018. Photo: Sparktour · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- A food stall in Dongmen’s pedestrian streets, November 2024. Photo: TWMEAU rOEPPOUL · Source · CC0
- Futian Railway Station entrance, October 2025. Photo: Windmemories · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Huaqiangbei walking street in Futian, February 2019. City and retail context. Photo: Mx. Granger · Source · CC0
- Residential apartment towers in Shenzhen, August 2017. Housing context, not a rental listing. Photo: Chris (dcmaster), Shenzhen, China · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0
- First Outpatient Department of Shenzhen People’s Hospital, March 2026. Photo: Dinkun Chen · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tencent Binhai Building entrance in Nanshan, June 2023. Office-area context. Photo: MEAIYAVT 206 Liowcms · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Waterfront paths and visitors at Shenzhen Talent Park, December 2024. Photo: Dinkun Chen · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- The departure hall at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, July 2024. Airport context. Photo: Lyg 2001 · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Xunlong passenger ferries at Shekou Cruise Center, March 2020. Photo: 李汉宗 (Lhzss8) · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Open lawns at Lianhuashan Park with the Futian skyline, December 2019. Photo: Shihu7 · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- MixC Shenzhen Bay storefronts in Houhai, May 2026. Shopping context. Photo: TWS LUOK Mingaowpuo · Source · CC0
- Wayfinding in the covered approach to Luohu Port, September 2024. Photo: LAHN wui Hoezhong · Source · CC0
- QSI International School of Shenzhen Main Campus, October 2025. One campus example. Photo: Rich-nagle · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shekou International School Bay Campus and sports courts, February 2023. One campus example. Photo: Ahuangsis · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Uniworld shopping streets and surrounding housing in Longhua, February 2024. Photo: Rlwo MEUAD 20082 · Source · CC0
- The south gate and walking streets of Nantou Ancient City, September 2025. Photo: Yumeto · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Futian’s central business district and Ping An Finance Center. Office-area context. Photo: Charlie fong · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
- The view from a Shenzhen Metro Line 13 train near Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint station. Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas · Source · CC0
- Dongchong Beach and the Dapeng Peninsula coastline, January 2024. Photo: kf zhou · Source · Pexels License
- The illuminated Minghua ship and Sea World plaza in Shekou, January 2016. Photo: Wishds · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0