Mainland Chinese visitors pack Hong Kong malls on second day of National Day break

Mainland Chinese visitors have flocked to Hong Kong’s shops and malls on the second day of the National Day “golden week” holiday, with some looking for outdoor gear and others browsing the city’s bookstores.

Hong Kong recorded over 277,300 mainland arrivals on Thursday – the first day of the week-long break – representing about 47 per cent of total inbound passengers for the day, according to immigration figures.

The city welcomed over 68,800 mainland arrivals on Friday as of 10am. By then, Mong Kok’s shopping districts were crowded with visitors and pedestrians. Beauty shops and tea restaurants were filled by noon, while a long queue formed at the entrance of Sim City, a shopping centre known for camera equipment.

David Liu Haibo, a university student from Hunan, came to Hong Kong with two friends for a hiking trip, which would include a visit to Grass Island.

Liu said on Friday morning that they were looking to buy outdoor gear at Grand Plaza in Mong Kok, as they had learned from the Chinese social media platform RedNote that the shopping centre was well-known for outdoor clothing and equipment.

“We’re each planning to spend around HK$2,000 (US$255) on windbreakers and outdoor backpacks,” Liu said.

“The Osprey outdoor backpacks especially, as they may cost about HK$500 to HK$600 more back on the mainland, and the Hong Kong dollar to yuan exchange rate is very favourable right now, saving us a lot of money.”

A 23-year-old Sichuan man surnamed Sheng was on a two-day trip in Hong Kong with friends. Instead of visiting shopping centres, he made bookstores his main stops, including Commercial Press and Joint Publishing.

His biggest purchase was a collector’s edition of the traditional Chinese novel Jin Ping Mei, which he said cost HK$1,580 and was not available on the mainland.

“I really enjoy historical folklore and popular fiction,” Sheng said, adding that the different volumes included commentaries by Huang Lin, a distinguished professor at Fudan University and president of the Chinese Jin Ping Mei Research Association.

“I really enjoy reading his commentaries, and I also have a version of Dream of the Red Chamber with his review.”

Wang, a visitor from Zhejiang, said she was part of a group comprising two families, including four children. They were visiting Hong Kong for two days and had spent about HK$2,000 on bags, medicine and cosmetics on the first day, she said.

Her two sons also wanted to buy sportswear, including football jerseys of teams such as Real Madrid.

Hong Kong is expected to welcome about 1.29 million mainland Chinese travellers over the golden week break, which lasts from October 1 to 7.