Yes, Shenzhen has areas that function as slums, known locally as chengzhongcun or "urban villages," which are densely packed, informal settlements with substandard housing and infrastructure, providing cheap housing for migrant workers but lacking services and facing demolition threats, despite not being typical shanty towns. While lacking legal title for tenants and official planning, these villages offer vital affordable housing in the booming city, though they suffer from overcrowding, poor sanitation, and chaotic development, leading authorities to view them as eyesores for modernization.
China has slums, and Shenzhen has the most number of people living in them out of all cities in China. Except they are not referred to or categorically defined as slums, but rather cheng-zhong-cun, or “villages in the city.” The story of the villages and the story of the city are one.
Areas to avoid in Shenzhen
Areas like the Bao'an district offer affordable housing but lack access to recreational activities and can feel more industrial and rural. Dameisha offers a beautiful beach environment but is far from the city centre, which makes for an unpleasantly long commute.
Shenzhen is the place that is quite safe according to Western standards, in comparison to other cities around the world with approximately the same number of tourists.
So, China does not have “Slums”. However, according to the property rights analysis of land resources, China relies on the government to actively implement the land reform system, comprehensively solve the problem of landlords, and fairly divide the land to all farmers.
Xihaigu is a region forming the southern tip of Ningxia, China. It consists of the seven county-level divisions Yuanzhou, Xiji, Longde, Jingyuan, Pengyang, Haiyuan and Tongxin. The former five counties being part of Guyuan city. It forms one of the poorest areas in China.
China had an estimated 2.58 million people experiencing homelessness in 2024, according to international rankings — equating to roughly 1.9 per 10,000 people, while public aid reached approximately 750,000 individuals nationwide, most of whom received assistance from relief stations, with many later reunited with ...
China's "3-hour rule" for minors restricts children under 18 to playing online video games for only three hours per week, specifically from 8 PM to 9 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, to combat gaming addiction and improve health. Implemented by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) in 2021, the rule mandates gaming companies use real-name verification and facial recognition to enforce limits, though some children bypass it using adult accounts.
Because of Shenzhen's close proximity to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, you will also hear the Cantonese language spoken. Many people in Shenzhen can also speak at least some English, with the Shenzhen Government offering programs to help people learn English.
China's "0.1% rule" refers to its October 2025 export controls, requiring licenses for foreign products containing ≥0.1% by value of certain Chinese-origin rare earths or made with controlled Chinese rare earth tech, extending China's jurisdiction extraterritorially to high-tech supply chains like EV magnets and AI chips, impacting global industries by giving Beijing leverage over critical materials. This "de minimis" rule creates significant compliance burdens for foreign firms, potentially halting supply of advanced tech.
The "Three Ts" in China refer to the highly sensitive topics of Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen Square, which are major taboos and subjects of strict censorship, with discussions often discouraged or forbidden due to their challenge to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) narrative and authority. Foreigners are often advised to avoid these topics to prevent discomfort, legal issues, or awkwardness with Chinese citizens.
Out of the 10 districts, there are 3 areas best recommended to stay for tourists, because most of the hotels in Shenzhen are in those areas. They are Luohu, Futian and Nanshan.
The Kowloon Walled City had been a military stronghold since the 15th century due to its coastal location and was a slum. Under an agreement between the Government of Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China, the Kowloon Walled City was demolished in the 1990s.
With 50.800 millionaires and 22 billionaires, Shenzhen is transforming technological innovation and strategic economic policies into a global model of prosperity, surpassing traditional financial giants.
The World's Largest Slums: Dharavi, Kibera, Khayelitsha & Neza.
For the first time, Chinese people can expect to be healthy longer than Americans, according to the most recent data from the World Health Organization, even though Americans are still expected to live about two years longer than Chinese citizens.
Some researchers have attributed this to overall weaknesses in China's health system (World Bank, 2005; Tang et al., 2008). Others have blamed it on the rising air pollution that has been a byproduct of economic development (Ebenstein et al., 2015).
The number one killer in the world is cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, responsible for about one-third of all global deaths, claiming nearly 18-20 million lives annually, and remains the leading cause across all regions, according to WHO and World Heart Federation. While COVID-19 caused significant deaths in recent years, CVD has consistently held the top spot for decades, with increases seen globally, especially in younger populations.
The 4-2-1 family structure refers to families in which three generations coexist in a variety of family forms. The structure emphasizes a social living community, including four older people (paternal and maternal grandparents), two parents, and one child, based on relationships of marriage, kinship, and adoption.
The pooled mean sleep duration of 21 studies with available data was 6.82 hours/day (95% CI: 6.59-7.05 hours/day). The estimated proportions of sleep duration <5 hours/day, <6 hours/day, <7 hours/day were 18.8% (95% CI: 1.7%-35.9%), 26.7% (95% CI: 19.7%-33.7%) and 42.3% (95% CI: 34.8%-49.8%), respectively.
Article 87 Anyone who, in violation of the provisions of this Law, generates neighborhood noise, fails to stop the violation after dissuasion, mediation, and handling, and continuously interferes with the normal life, work, and study of others, or commits other acts violating public security administration such as ...
Finland is the only country in the world where there are no homeless people; the Finnish government believes that housing is not a privilege, but a fundamental right for every individual. Therefore, instead of temporary shelters or tents, homeless people are given the keys to permanent homes.
Despite falling housing and rental prices, housing affordability in China's top-tier cities is still an issue, with rent-to-income ratios exceeding 30%.
As per China's national poverty line, 8.5 percent of people were in poverty in 2013, which decreased to 1.7 percent in 2018. On 6 March 2020, Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, announced that by 2020, China will achieve all poverty alleviation in rural areas.