"In the morning, I worked in Hong Kong. In the afternoon, I transferred to the subway from Futian Port to Houhai, Nanshan, Shenzhen. It only takes about 1.5 hours. I went to walk around and eat and drink first. In the evening, I went to the Shenzhen Poly Theater to watch a cultural feast that combined Chinese and Western culture and exchanges between civilizations. "Gao Songjie, a young man from Hong Kong who started his own business in Shenzhen, recently posted on Weibo, lamenting the convenience, comfort and variety of life in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

　　On the fifth anniversary of the release of the "Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area", the Greater Bay Area has not only formed a "one-hour living circle", but also built a "high-quality living circle."

"Go anywhere" cross-border travel, rich and diverse cultural performances, restaurants and food, exhibitions and entertainment, high-quality communities, medical care and education have all become options within reach for people in the Greater Bay Area.

　　Tourism market heats up

　　On the weekend, Xiao Huan and her friends set out from Hong Kong, passed the Futian Port with ease, and walked into a fungus hot pot restaurant in Shenzhen to start a food and leisure journey.

At the same time, Yanxia from the Mainland also passed through the Futian Port and came to a country park in Hong Kong to continue her mountaineering plan.

　　It has become a daily routine for residents of the Greater Bay Area to take a cross-border trip whenever they feel like it.

During this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the popularity of people in the Greater Bay Area “visiting” hit a new record.

The number of inbound and outbound passengers at the Zhuhai Highway Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge reached 902,000, and the number of vehicles was approximately 127,000, an increase of 505.4% and 243.2% respectively compared with the same period during the Spring Festival last year.

　　Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area launch special cultural tourism activities during the Spring Festival, attracting Hong Kong and Macao residents to visit.

Zhongshan City has launched seven major themed activities: "Looking at flowers, admiring delicious food, appreciating intangible cultural heritage, tasting exhibitions and performances, listening to music, spending time in a study room, and visiting markets"; Guangzhou City has launched more than 2,500 cultural and tourism activities with the theme of "The New Year is the Best in Guangzhou" ; Dongguan launched more than 400 cultural tourism and sports activities with the theme of "New Year, Come to Guan", and selected 24 flower viewing spots and eco-tourism spots...

　　Wu Zhicai, director of the Guangdong Tourism Strategy and Policy Research Center of South China University of Technology, said that celebrating the Spring Festival, visiting relatives and friends, and parent-child study in cities in the Greater Bay Area have become important motivations for Hong Kong and Macao residents to travel, and sightseeing and hot spring bathing are also gradually gaining popularity.

　　At the same time, the number of mainland tourists traveling to Hong Kong and Macao during the Spring Festival exceeded 2.28 million, exceeding the level of the same period in 2018.

The grand fireworks shows, floats and lion dance parades, concerts and cultural exhibitions in Hong Kong and Macao, as well as the newly added "Hengqin + Macao" tourist routes, have helped the Greater Bay Area form a "two-way" tourism market.

　　"Going north" consumption is booming

　　A few days ago, consumers lined up in a long queue in front of a newly opened supermarket in Longhua District, Shenzhen.

According to on-site staff, the supermarket has processed more than 130,000 membership cards in the past few days, of which more than 10,000 were issued by Hong Kong and Macao residents.

　　During the Spring Festival, Hong Kong and Macao residents who “go north” to shop for goods become a “landscape”.

Compared with the same period in 2023, the number of WeChat mainland consumption transactions by Hong Kong residents during the Spring Festival increased by nearly five times, and the transaction amount increased by more than three times. The amount of mainland consumption by Hong Kong and Macao residents using Alipay doubled.

　　In addition to buying New Year's goods, Hong Kong and Macao residents have many choices for consumption in mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area. Having morning tea, tasting delicious food, experiencing intangible cultural heritage, watching night light shows and cruising street performances are all "opened" items.

On Hong Kong social platforms, various strategies for "eating, shopping, and playing" in Shenzhen have become hot topics, and "manicures, massages, and dental visits" are also popular among consumers of all ages.

A Hong Kong resident summarized the reason: "In addition to relatively cheap prices, there are also increasingly convenient payment methods and increasingly high-quality services."

　　Many car owners from Hong Kong and Macao have shared their experiences of driving northward on social platforms. In addition to allowing them to more freely control their travel time and facilitate large-ticket purchases, the mainland's cheaper gas prices, car maintenance and repair costs have all attracted car owners to go northward. One of the reasons.

　　A livable city

　　"Hengqin is very livable for us. More and more people are coming to Hengqin now." After moving to Hengqin, the living area of ​​Macau resident Ms. Liang expanded from the original 60 square meters to 150 square meters. , her small Hengqin community is a community integrating Guangdong and Macao elements within the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone, with more than 1,500 Macao residents.

　　Across the road is Macau New Neighborhood, an important livelihood integration project created by the cooperation zone.

"Macau New Neighborhood" can accommodate 12,000 to 15,000 residents. It is equipped with schools, health stations, elderly service centers and comprehensive family service centers. It has dozens of various shops planned and is deeply connected to Macau's public service system for people's livelihood.

　　Livability is one of the common construction goals of mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area.

The "Master Development Plan for the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone" announced at the end of last year proposed to build a high-quality ecosystem for the world, vigorously develop international professional education, provide high-quality health services, and promote the prosperity and development of cultural, sports and tourism.

Guangzhou Nansha has proposed to create a "future city", and a series of advanced urban planning concepts are becoming a reality.

　　From pre-school education to higher education, the educational resources in the Greater Bay Area have grown rapidly in the past five years.

In September last year, the Qianhai Harrow School for the Children of Hong Kong opened its doors to children aged 2 to 18 who are residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, foreigners, overseas Chinese and returned overseas students.

At the beginning of this year, the first phase of the City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) campus was officially opened, and the first section of the Greater Bay Area University (Songshan Lake Campus) was officially put into use.

In recent years, a large number of new universities such as the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) have been established in Guangdong Province, and many more universities are under preparation.

　　In terms of medical and health care, mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area also have unique advantages.

The "Dental Clinic for Hong Kong and Macao Residents" established at the Chunfeng Campus of the Dental Center of Shenzhen Luohu Hospital Group has recently received an average of 15-20 consultations and treatments for Hong Kong and Macao residents every day.

"The price of a tooth implant in Shenzhen is 1/3 of that in Hong Kong, and it takes 5 to 6 weeks to wait in public hospitals in Hong Kong. A regular appointment in Shenzhen only takes one week." Mr. Lin, a citizen from Hong Kong, said.

　　In recent years, the Hong Kong and Macao SAR governments have been encouraging elderly people to retire in mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area.

The Hong Kong SAR government recently announced the "Elderly Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Plan" to expand the scope of application of the Elderly Care Voucher to include seven hospitals in mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area.

　　Wang Ping (Source: People’s Daily Overseas Edition)