Gongbei, Zhuhai

3 min read

Ocated in the Gongbei Subdistrict in the southeastern part of Zhuhai, the Gongbei Port of Exit and Entry is one of four means of entry on land between the Chinese mainland and Macao. The counterpart in Macao, through which travelers must pass before reaching or after departing from Gongbei, is the Portas do Cerco.

Covering approximately 10 square kilometers, the heavily-used Exit and EntrynInspection facilities strewn with fancy hotels, restaurants of all culinary styles, and malls have been the busiest urban zone of Zhuhai, handling an average of 360,000 travelers/journeys daily in 2018. To say this compact piece of land overwhelms the uninitiated visitor is an understatement. The year 2018 saw a recordbreaking 134 million people cross the port that has been ranking first in China for seven consecutive years, in terms of capacity to handle travelers.

This intense location makes the bustling area a hub of not only transportation and commerce but also cultural communicatic between Zhuhai and Macao; and for the locals this sleepless zone has long served as an ideal meeting place. Step out of this port of entry into a mind-blowing spectacle of neon at some point of the day, and you’ll find yourself in “the tale of two cities”of your dreams. Most places worth visiting are conveniently close to the heart of the port area. CR Vanguard Department Store(currently closed for renovation)and Lianhua Shopping Street are two of the essential destinations for tourists. Any well-informe- traveler would never leave Zhuhai without surveying the Yingbin Road, the Love Promenade and the Zhuhai Port Plaza, and sampling the smorgasbord of fabulous urban amenities that the area has to offer. The vibrant city life of the former Portuguese colony at the doorstep and mushrooming, stylish residential quarters present a fascinating urban scene, complete with an intriguing smear of historical flavors from oldfashioned architecture and the Cantonese-Macanese lifestyle, and a solid infrastructural foundation that makes the thrill of “exit and entry”a routine and convenient enjoyment for people in Zhuhai and Macao. The port area has also been an investment haven, drawing in famous figures and business magnates for their share of the pie. The refurbishment of a string of facilities over the past decade greatly improved conditions for the everyday life of the locals and traveling experiences of tourists, spawning a brand new hub for capital and information flow.

Throughout its 130-year history of change and challenge, Gongbei has always been ready to adapt to changing conditions. One of the port’s goals set for the new “bridge era” is to explore new possibilities and innovations in customs management on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the extreme efficiency of which is absolutely essential to the phenomenal flow of people and commerce through this relatively small passage.

Keeping in mind its historical roots while embracing the future, Gongbei Port of Exit and Entry sits atop a huge reservoir of potential and burgeoning development.