DONGMEN in Luohu District has been ticking away for 400 years, while witnessing the 40 years of the development of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

Initially a market formed in the mid-Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) by villagers of Hubei, Xiangxi, Huangbeiling and Shuibei villages, to name a few, Dongmen used to be called “Shenzhenxu” (literally meaning Shenzhen market). In the past 100 years, Dongmen, which is near the railway station linking Hong Kong and the mainland, has long been leading Shenzhen’s consumption trends. It is one of Shenzhen’s most popular places for shopping due to abundant cheap products and foods there.

In 1999, the old Dongmen was transformed into a modern pedestrian street. As for shopping, the small stalls and big department stores are overflowing with clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags and cosmetics; for eating, there are street foods from around China, as well as McDonald’s and Starbucks; for recreation, there are a couple of video game arcades, karaoke clubs and beauty salons.(Cao Zhen)