• Get around
• See
• Buy
• Eat
• Drink

Dongguan (东莞 Dōngguān) is located in China's Guangdong Province, about 100 km from Hong Kong.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

The city is about one hours drive away from Shenzhen and Guangzhou's Baiyun airports. You can catch a train or bus from these cities.

[edit] By Train

Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway offers service (the former Kowloon-Canton Railway service) from Hung Hom Station in Hong Kong to Dongguan. As of April 2008, the one-way fare is HK$145. The schedule is at http://www.it3.mtr.com.hk/B2C/UserPage/sysTimeTable_Eng.asp.

There is also a frequent rail shuttle service from Dongguan Station to both Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

[edit] By bus

The most popular method for Hong Kong locals to travel to Dongguan is by bus. There are several companies that offer bus travel to Dongguan from Hong Kong. Prices are usually $80-100 for a one-way ticket or $150 for a two-way ticket. Travel times usually range from 1.5hrs to 2.5hrs depending on traffic conditions. If you are traveling from another part of China, you can also travel to Dongguan by bus, most major cities in China will have bus routes to the Dongguan Main Bus Station in NanCheng.

[edit] By boat

One of the less used ways to get to Dongguan from Hong Kong is by ferry. This allows you to avoid the queues at the busy customs checkpoints on the border between Hong Kong and mainland China.

[edit] Get around

[edit] See

Dongguan has an exhibition center that houses many exhibitions and conferences.

[edit] Do

People watching

Cheap pedicures and massages

[edit] Spas

Most 4 Star hotels will have various "proper" massage and sauna services for upwards of 150RMB. However, if you are looking for "other" kinds of service, they will are usually avaiable for 600 to 800RMB.

[edit] Buy

Dongguan is well known for its Huanghe Fashion Town located in the Humen District along Renming Road, Renyi Road, Jinglong Road and Yinglong Road. The district houses one of China's largest clothing and textile wholesale markets, which extends over an area of about one square kilometre. Many of the products sold there are exported to Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Everybody can enjoy low wholesale prices, even when buying in small quantities.

[edit] Eat

[edit] Drink

The most popular bars are on or around "Bar Street"(Ju Ba Jie) in DongCheng(East City) in DongGuan City. A popular hangout for expats is Beijing Bar, although if you prefer more local hangouts, BB and V8 are also quite popular clubs each with a dance floor.

However, like many parts of China, various kinds of "services" are popular, including prostitution; one should be careful with local girls if they seem to be getting too friendly if you are not looking for such services.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Splurge

There are several high end hotels in the Dongguan area. The DongCheng International (http://www.dcgj-hotel.com) is centrally located and is within walking distance of the Walking Street outdoor shopping and restaurant area.

The Sofitel Royal Lagoon Hotel (http://www.accorhotels.com.cn/sofitel-dongguan) is more secluded and is set back away from the main road. It has a resort type feel and even has its own water park. It is located near Qifeng Park - a nice area to walk around- and a 36 hole golf course is adjacent to the property.

In Humen Town (one of the towns in Dongguan City), two hotels of note are the Grand Noble and the Richwood Garden Hotel . The Grand Noble (http://www.gnhotel.com) is the first 5-star business hotel to open in Dongguan. It is centrally located and convenient to shopping and dining options. In-house restaurants feature Cantonese, Japanese, American, and Italian foods.

The Richwood (http://www.richwoodgardenhotel.com), while a bit out of the way, is spectacular in design and construction. The Richwood's restaurants, particularly the Chinese and Southeast Asian restaurants, are also some of the best in the area.

The new Pullman Dongguan Forum is a charming low rise Chinese style hotel adjoining a museum and art gallery and offers private access to the famous Qi Feng Mountain. Guests enjoy a choice of restaurants, private rooms, meeting rooms for over 400 delegates, spa, gymnasium. 32 Dong Cheng Zhong Lu, Dongguan, China, 523129 Tel : +86 769 2336 8888 (http://www.accorhotels.com.cn/pullman_dongguan)

An excellent 5 star hotel is the Crown Prince Hotel in Huangjiang (http://www.crownprincehotel.com). Certainly worth a visit with excellent facilities, and even its own 'opera' house presenting superb show extravaganzas (do not be mislead by the 'opera' title).