Location: Ten Years
Travel Notes: After dinner, I didn't head back to the Sheraton where I was staying. On a sudden whim, I took the subway and walked alone to the area around Jingyuan Hotel in the north of Xiangmi Lake. Back in 2007, when I was 27 and on my first business trip to Shenzhen, I stayed at Jingyuan Hotel. I was naive then, full of curiosity and unfamiliarity with the surroundings. I still remember Jinli, who worked in Guangzhou at the time, came to see me. We got foot massages at the Qinghai Building next door—that was actually my first foot massage ever. Back then, just a few dozen RMB (over 200 TWD) could kill a whole evening, so I often went alone for a massage after work. Haircuts, taxis, massages, foot baths... everything was incredibly cheap at that stage. After returning to Taiwan, time flew by. I moved around between cities across the strait and regions. Shenzhen has grown from just opening its first subway line to now having 11 extensive lines. For this city, unlike Shanghai, I have an indescribable feeling and sentiment. And tonight, suddenly, I wanted to revisit this old place where it all began. Ten years later, Jingyuan Hotel still stands, but the Hong Kon…
