July 4, 2006 – If you take an afternoon flight from Kuala Lumpur to Macau, you'll land in the evening after three hours of flying. And if you fly in one of those no-frills budget airlines, as I did, your rumbling stomach will tell you on landing that it’s time for dinner. 

My destination was Zhuhai, a small seaside city north of Macau. It is a thriving city of 1.33 million people, mostly Cantonese. 

Dismissed by many as a slow-moving haven for retirees, Zhuhai has been largely overshadowed by its immediate neighbours, glamorous Hong Kong, booming Shenzhen and even charming Macau.  

However, I found this little enclave hugging the shorelines on the wrong side of the Pearl River Delta rather fascinating and definitely holding great potential for the future. 

Once you are in the open streets after crossing the checkpoint that separates Macau from Zhuhai, you will realise that you are already in China as you switch to using Renminbi and conversing in Putonghua. 

Of course, the familiar Cantonese is understood perfectly well, especially in the outskirts. 

As you stroll with your luggage across the streets to the many high-rise hotels that have mushroomed in this prosperous part of Zhuhai called Gungbei District, you will notice the lively atmosphere of the place.  

A standard room in Gungbei costs RMB199 (RM90) a night and the asking price for a suite is RMB400 (RM181) – just a fraction of what you would have to pay in Hong Kong or Macau.  

As you zigzag your way along the busy streets, you are actually walking on the rooftop of a huge shopping mall called Women's World. It certainly lives up to its name, as it offers a wide range of fashionable products at affordable prices. Its proximity to Hong Kong probably explains the merchandise.  

Zhuhai is on the western side of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Dongguan, which are on the more prosperous part of the Pearl River Delta and have undergone such rapid progress that they are now almost saturated with development.  

On the other hand, Zhuhai, with a land area of 1,514 sq miles inclusive of 140 islands, a sea area of 6,135 sq miles and a shoreline of 690km, is an ugly duckling waiting to bloom into a beautiful swan. 

It is called “a city of 100 islands,” which is small by Chinese standard but it is also one of the 10 most liveable cities of China, enjoying the same ranking as Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Hangzhou and Xiamen in terms of quality of life. 

Among other accolades, it has been voted as a model city of environmental protection and also one of the best resort cities in the country.  

There are several popular tourist routes to some of the resorts and landmarks and a good view of Macau across the border. Attractions include the new Summer Palace, which was built on the same scale as the original royal garden in Beijing, which was burnt down by the Anglo-French-led allied forces in 1900. It has a gala show nightly. 

Zhuhai has its fair share of seafood outlets, restaurants and bars. As the name suggests, it is famous for its pearls. There are other attractions like water theme parks, museums, gardens and spas.  

If you are interested in the history of Zhuhai, go to Qi'ao Island where ancient buildings and relics of the Sung Dynasty can still be found.  

My local guide Wang Yong, a native of Anhui province who has been in Zhuhai for the last 10 years, speaks of Zhuhai as if it is his hometown. He drives a Mitsubishi SUV and takes visitors sightseeing.  

“Zhuhai is small but it is a beautiful seaside resort. Every year, millions of people from Hong Kong, Macau and other cities come here to relax and enjoy the scenery,” Wang said as we cruised along the coastal road from where we could see some of the landmark buildings of Macau. 

“The air quality here is good, transportation is excellent and the city is not so congested. Even our prices are very reasonable unlike those in Hong Kong or Macau,” he added. 

As we returned to the city centre, I was amazed to see that the roads are lined with mango trees on both sides. The trees belong to the Government and city workers harvest the fruits every morning, Wang said. 

Besides developing the tourism industry, Zhuhai is working towards becoming a university city. Currently, some eight leading Chinese universities have either set up or are in negotiations to set up campuses here. A Beijing-based music school has even been offered an island to develop as a campus.  

There are 50,000 university students studying in Zhuhai and the authorities want to double the figure in the near future.  

Wang said Zhuhai used to be a poor fishing village but development began to speed up when it was declared a Special Economic Zone in the 80s.  

The last 25 years have seen it being transformed from a cluster of fishing villages to a modern city with skyscrapers, office complexes, clean streets lined with shops, theme parks, theatres, night clubs and beautiful resorts.  

There are still fishing villages on some of its islands, however. An 8.7m-high granite statue of a fisherwoman was erected in 1981 on the eastern shore of the city, looking out to the sea, to remind people of Zhuhai's past as it prepares for the future. 

There's a plan to build a bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai this year. An even more ambitious one is for the construction of an under-sea tunnel linking Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zuhai in the next 20 to 30 years. 

But for now, one can still squat by the roadside and enjoy huge juicy slices of melon without being frowned upon. Such simple joys in life will soon disappear once Zhuhai joins the rat race. 

Source: The Star Malaysia 

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