Near Macau's border lies the immigration and customs checkpoint, the Gongbei Port of Entry, in Zhuhai in Mainland China. I decided to explore this small city in China for half a day since it was conveniently located next to Macau. All I had to do was take a bus to the immigration and customs checkpoint and then cross it (you have to cross two checkpoints in total - one Macau checkpoint and one China checkpoint). The journey of taking the bus to the border and then crossing it took around 45 minutes to an hour, so it wasn't that bad. Take note: I went during the non-peak period; hence, it was pretty fast to clear the immigration border. If you decide to go on peak periods (i.e., public holidays or weekends), be prepared to wait up to 3 hours or more to cross the border!

 

Zhuhai is a small prefecture-level city in the Guangdong province of Mainland China. Once you cross the immigration border from Macau, you will reach the Gongbei Port of Entry, the immigration checkpoint people will have to pass through should they want to visit Macau. Exiting from the Gongbei Port of Entry, you will soon find yourself in a large city square, where the center lies poles mounted with the flag of China, swinging in the sky gloriously. There is an underground plaza nearby, known as Gongbei Port Plaza, where one can find hundreds of shops selling various merchandise like food and bargain clothing. I do not like to shop, hence the plaza wasn't of much interest to me. 

 

Nonetheless, looking at the various merchandise sold in the plaza was enjoyable. I did, however, have my lunch in the underground plaza, which was a hearty and big bowl of handmade beef noodles. The noodles were tasty and refreshing, and one could watch the chef make the noodles on the spot as he twisted and pulled the long stretch of dough repeatedly before transforming them into thin, stringy noodles, ready to be cooked and served to his hungry patrons. The broth was also rich with flavor, and together with the thin slices of succulent beef, they were a match made in heaven. Most importantly, the meal only cost 18 Yuan (SGD 3.70). For me, that was truly value for money!

 

A few hundred meters from the plaza was a local market selling various products. I chanced upon a store selling local snacks such as Green Bean and Taro biscuits. Many other snacks were being sold at the market (which you can refer to using my photos). My friend got a pair of leather shoes for around SGD 20, which was relatively cheap. But unfortunately, he got ripped off when buying lychees from a local vendor. My friend paid 21 yuan for 250 grams of lychees, but when we went to the local supermarket store (inside the market), we saw that the lychees were sold for 10.5+ yuan for 250 grams. What a bummer it sure was for my friend!

 

Anyway, due to the lack of time, I could only explore the underground plaza and the nearby market, as mentioned above. If you have more time,  I recommend you take a full-day trip to visit Zhuhai, because there are plenty of sights to see here, such as the Statue of Fisher Girl and the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom. But still, I'm more than content to have visited this small yet spacious city in China. I plan to visit more areas of Mainland China, such as Beijing and Shanghai, but until that day comes, enjoy my photos of Zhuhai for the time being! :)