Shenzhen border crossings hit record 1.145 million in a day

Travelers queue for immigration clearance at a Shenzhen border port. The city recorded a record 1.145 million inbound and outbound border crossings Saturday. Photos courtesy of Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection

Shenzhen recorded a record 1.145 million inbound and outbound border crossings Saturday, surpassing the previous single-day high set in August, according to the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.

The figure included 599,000 inbound and 546,000 outbound crossings, breaking the previous record of 1.1377 million set Aug. 22. It marked the fourth time this year that the city had set a new single-day record.

The surge came as Halloween celebrations, major concerts and other events in Hong Kong coincided with the weekend travel rush and the third phase of the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, driving up cross-border traffic.

Travelers pass through automated immigration clearance gates at Huanggang Port on Saturday.

Huanggang Port handled 161,000 passenger crossings Saturday, its highest daily total since opening. Shenzhen's land border checkpoints with Hong Kong also set a record, handling a combined 1.115 million crossings.

To manage the heavy traffic, Shenzhen border inspection authorities stepped up real-time passenger flow monitoring, deployed additional officers and opened inspection lanes in advance of peak periods.

Authorities also improved passenger guidance and introduced measures to distribute traffic more evenly across checkpoints, aiming to maintain smooth and efficient border clearance.