Volunteers distribute gift bags to visitors arriving at Lo Wu station in Hong Kong, on Feb 6, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
Hong Kong passengers swarmed into banks and SIM card shops to address pressing financial and telecommunication needs, after arriving in the Chinese mainland via the Lo Wu checkpoint, which has reopened for the first time in three years.
Starting Monday, the mainland resumed full travel with Hong Kong and Macao, and four more checkpoints between Hong Kong and the mainland — including the busiest, Lo Wu — have resumed operation.
At only five-minutes’ walk away from Lo Wu control point, Luo Hu Commercial City is the closest shopping mall to the port. According to China Daily’s reporter, about 50 percent of the shops had reopened on Monday
At only five-minutes’ walk away from Lo Wu control point, Luo Hu Commercial City is the closest shopping mall to the port. According to China Daily’s reporter, about 50 percent of the shops had reopened on Monday. Some displayed posters and put out flower baskets near their doorways to welcome Hong Kong customers. Most Hong Kong people visiting the mall were middle-aged or elderly.
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China Merchants Bank, which is located on the second floor of the mall, had been crowded since the morning, with Hong Kong residents eager to handle their financial business.
Some telecommunications operators arranged for staff to be present near the port to assist Hong Kong customers with sorting out their mobile phone service, such as by helping them to reapply for a mainland SIM card.
Mainland mobile phone numbers are canceled if not used for six months. During the past three years, many Hong Kong residents have had their mainland numbers canceled and need to apply for a new one.
A China Mobile employee surnamed Wang set up a temporary booth in the mall to help Hong Kong customers handle their business.
He worked for three consecutive hours to help more than a dozen Hong Kong customers reapply for their mainland phone cards, and another 30 to 40 people were still waiting in a nearby telecommunication service center. The average waiting time for assistance was about 30 minutes.
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Xie Ti, owner of a clothing store in the mall, said her business has been able to survive thanks largely to online shopping and the rental reduction policy in place at the mall during the pandemic.
She said business on the first day of full travel resumption had been much better than expected. Several regular customers visited the store today, and some others also asked through WeChat whether the store would be open today. She hopes her business will recover to the pre-pandemic level soon.
Gui Cong, owner of a shop that sells eyeglasses, said he closed his shop during the pandemic and had to rely on his online shopping business and part-time jobs to make a living.
He said he cleaned up and restocked the store as soon as he was told the Lo Wu checkpoint would reopen. He expects it will take six to 12 months for his business to fully recover, and he hopes more foreign customers will visit the mall now that the border has been fully reopened.