Dongmen Pedestrian St东门步行街
In Dongmen
The market town that named Shenzhen, now a maze of cheap shopping and street food
Dongmen is where Shenzhen started. About 300 years ago this was Shenzhen Xu (深圳墟), a market town in Xin'an County, and the city took its name from it. Locals still call the area Laojie, Old Street, which is also the name of the metro station underneath.
Almost nothing old survives. The Cantonese shophouses were cleared during the 1980s redevelopment of Luohu, and the streets were pedestrianised in 1999. What you get now is a dense grid of connecting shopping streets, malls and food lanes full of budget clothes, shoes, accessories and phone gear, with loud music from shopfronts and staff working the crowds.
It is not a polished day out, and that is the point. Come for bargain shopping, cheap snacks and some of the best people-watching in the city, plus a couple of real bits of history if you know where to look.
What to see and do
Siyue Academy
A Qing-era academy that began as a family ancestral hall, and the only old building left in the area. During the 1925-26 Canton-Hong Kong strike it served as a reception station; it was moved a few streets to its current spot in 1998.
Mainland China's first McDonald's
The branch in the Guanghua Building on Jiefang Road opened on 8 October 1990 as the first McDonald's in mainland China, and is still trading, with plaques marking the date.
Food streets
Huishi Street (汇食街), right by Exit A, and the food street at Dongmen Town Plaza, with more than a hundred vendors, cover most snacking needs.
Fabric street
On the north side of Shennan East Road by Exit C of Laojie station, a strip of fabric and soft-furnishing shops that tailors and home decorators use.
Events at the plazas
Dongmen's plazas host seasonal programmes, such as a Lunar New Year music series in 2026 and an e-sports music festival in July 2025.
Visiting
- Hours
- Streets open all day; shops and malls keep their own hours (Bendibao, 2026)
- Tickets
- Free
- Getting there
- Metro Lines 1 and 3 to Laojie station, Exit A (Huishi Street, Nanqing Street, Dongmen Pedestrian Street)
- Address
- Junction of Dongmen Middle Road and Jiefang Road, Luohu District (罗湖区东门中路与解放路交界)
- Time needed
- 2-3 hours for shopping and a snack crawl
- Use Laojie Exit A for the pedestrian street. Exit D comes up on Dongmen Old Street and Yongxin Street by the 1234 mall, Exit C on the fabric street side.
- Weekend afternoons and evenings are packed. Weekday daytime is calmer for shopping.
- Bargaining is normal at stalls and small shops, less so in chain stores.
- Watch your phone and bag in the thickest crowds.
- Renmin Park is a short walk north via Exit G if you need a breather.
FAQ
What is Dongmen Pedestrian Street known for?
Cheap clothes, shoes, accessories and street food in a dense shopping district. It is also the site of the old Shenzhen market town that gave the city its name.
Which metro station is Dongmen?
Laojie station on Lines 1 and 3. Exit A leads straight onto Dongmen Pedestrian Street.
Is the first McDonald's in China in Shenzhen?
Yes. Mainland China's first McDonald's opened in Dongmen on 8 October 1990, in the Guanghua Building on Jiefang Road, and is still open.
Is Dongmen open at night?
Yes. The streets are open all day and the area stays busy into the evening, though individual shops set their own closing times.
Sources: Bendibao: Dongmen visitor page, hours and events (2026) · Bendibao: Laojie station exits · EyeShenzhen: Dongmen Pedestrian Street (Sep 2025) · Wikipedia: Dongmen, Shenzhen, background · Through My Lens: visiting the original McDonald's in Laojie (Dec 2025) · checked 2026-10-04