I went to the Lok Ma Chau (落馬洲) Lookout today. Actually, I was there a couple of days ago, but I went back again – this time armed with a camera. The lookout point is only approximately 25 minutes walk from my house. Perched atop a small hill, adjacent to the Lok Ma Chau police station, this was the point where, decades ago, visitors used to make their day long ‘excursions’ into the New Territories to catch glimpse of our mysterious northerly communist neighbour. At that time, ShenZhen (深圳) was a barren land – all that existed were scattered farming communities. Now, three decades later, ShenZhen houses a population of 4.6mil+ and represents the third largest city in China in terms of GDP per capita. And of course it’s no longer a mystery – some 10 million people cross the border into ShenZhen annually.
It never ceases to amaze me the pace at which ShenZhen – or most of China for that matter – has developed over the years. These days, ShenZhen is covered in skyscrapers and boasts the world’s eighth tallest building – Shun Hing Square (信兴广场), height: 384m. It’s clearly visible from my roof – protruding over the hilltops. From the Lok Ma Chau Lookout, one can still see evidence of the sixteen buildings demolished with explosives on May 22nd – several of them still intact, albeit lying at an angle like toppled dominoes. Also visible is the Lok Ma Chau KCR station, due to open in 2007.
Unfortunately my photos were taken in bad lighting so are not very clear – but on a good day, the lookout offers some fascinating views. I’ve included some of my shots here, but will try to get some better ones on a clearer day!
