Futian

Futian District, one of six districts comprising the city of Shenzhen, is considered the city centre. The district houses both the government and the Municipal Committee of Shenzhen, as well as being the city’s central business district. The four sides of the district are delineated by Binhe Dadao, Lianhua Road, Xinzhou Road and Caitian Road. Many office high-rises and a number of government buildings are located in the CBD, such as the Shenzhen City Hall, Shenzhen Development Bank building and the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. The Ping An Finance Centre, a 600m skyscraper scheduled to be fully completed in 2016, is also located in the CBD. When completed, the tower will become the second tallest in China and the fourth tallest in the world. A multitude of other skyscrapers can also be found in the CBD. They include the SEG Tower, China Merchants Bank Tower, and the recently completed twin towers of East Pacific Center. As well as being the CBD, Futian acts as the main traffic hub of Shenzhen. The three main east-to-west thoroughfares of the city, Beihuan Blvd., Binhai Blvd. and Shennan Blkvd all pass through the district. This creates a network in which Futiam, Caitian, Xinzhou and Meilin are all interconnected via a number of large overpasses. The region also contains the Futian Railway Station – the largest underground station in Asia and the second largest in the world behind Grand Central Station. The station, the final stop on the mainland for the Guangzhou-Shehnzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail link, acts as a major integrated transport hub as it connects intercity trains, the metro, long distance buses, local buses and taxis. Five of the Shenzhen Metro lines operate at the Futian station: lines 1,2,3,4,11. One of the immigration control points that lies within Futian is known as the Futian Port. Its counterpart in Hong Kong is Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point, connected through a pedestrian bridge. The port is served by Futian Checkpoint Station on the Shenzhen Metro, itself being located within the port building. Another immigration checkpoint is located 150m east of Futian Port. This is the only one of the 6 immigration checkpoints between Shenzhen and Hong Kong that is open 24 hours. The crossing is highway only and used mostly by trucks and busses, with the Mainland and Hong Kong crossings being on opposite sides of a bridge over the Shenzhen River. Its counterpart in Hong Kong is Lok Ma Chau Control Point. It also marks the terminus of the G4 Beijing–Hong Kong–Macau Expressway.