Shenzhen - Myanmar

It's official, I'll be leaving for Shenzhen as soon as they acquire more teacher housing down there. I've been told to expect about two weeks. I've met about half the crew down there and everyone is solid.

Shenzhen is a young immigrant city in south of China at the Pearl River Delta. Deng Xiapeng essentially created this city when he created a "Special Economic Zone" in a fishing village bordering Hong Kong. The population today clocks in somewhere south of 15 million today. Shenzhen "has a pleasant climate, often blessed with cool breeze at night, with an average temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit year-round." 20% of the population of Shenzhen is between the ages of 20-25 with 1.22 percent are aged 65 or above. I've heard rumors of beaches, mountain trails, and blue skies(!). I think I might have stumbled on the Chinese San Francisco

Some other teachers and I are tentatively planning a trip to Myanmar (Burma) in October. It would be a fascinating step backwards walking into what China looked like fifty-years ago. No western clothes, no economy, and a military junta running the show. I've some ethical problems with the trip in that the state runs tourism agencies... so we'd be paying off a brutal dictatorship. I'll keep everyone informed on what happens with that. We're also looking at making a run to Tibet together during the Spring Holiday.

Shenzhen Skyline / Photo by China_Winston