Customers often like to visit us at the factory, so here is some guidance to help you plan and have a smoother visit to Agilian from Hong Kong.
Agilian’s location
We’re located just across the border from Shenzhen in Dongguan’s Chang’an district, not far from Shenzhen International Airport.
As you can see from the map above, we’re also near Hong Kong, and it’s quite easy to travel to us directly from Hong Kong using the rail network if that’s where you’re flying into (as many visitors do).
When to visit us
Agilian in Dongguan
Tuesdays and Thursdays are preferred for customer visits at Agilian in Dongguan and visits are always by appointment only.
Sofeast group Shenzhen HQ
We also provide the option to have a meeting in our group’s main Shenzhen office in the Huaqiangbei area of Shenzhen’s city center, but it is mainly an administrative office and you will not see any assembly or manufacturing-related activities there. We prefer customer visits on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but visits are also always by appointment only here, as well.
Please contact us in advance to arrange your visit.
Travelling to meet us from Hong Kong
If you already have a Chinese visa it is possible to take a high-speed train from the center of Hong Kong as you can clear customs there and come to China on the train. We recommend this transport method.
Train from Hong Kong
This is probably the fastest way to get to Agilian and should take approximately 3-4 hours door to door.
There is a fast train (“Gaotie”) going from Hong Kong to Dongguan. You can go to https://www.trip.com/?locale=en_xx and set up the search this way selecting to travel from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Humen:
…and you will see the trains that day. It’s fast.
The station on the Hong Kong side is at this location in Kowloon district and can be reached at Austin MTR station if you’re heading in by metro. Allow yourself ample extra time to reach the station before your departure because it’s a large station and uses the mainland Chinese system which is not necessarily easy to grasp the first time.
Arriving in Dongguan by train
The station on the China side is “Humen / 虎门”. It’s a pretty big station (also a station for metro, light rail, and bus), so it may take time just looking for the right place to find the right place to take the Gaotie on the way back.
Taking a taxi to Agilian
From the Humen station to our facility in Dongguan, it usually takes 30 to 45 min by car. In rush hour (around 8:30 am, or around 5-6 pm), it might take much longer. Taxi drivers will probably have no issues with the address in Chinese:
广东省东莞市长安镇，乌沙社区兴发南路东一街，豪荣智创科技大厦2楼208
Contact number: +86 181 2857 3969
You may choose to screenshot it in case you have no mobile internet when you need to show the taxi driver. There is also a contact number included for our staff member who can speak to the driver if need be.
What if you do not have a Chinese visa yet?
Most Westerners can enter Hong Kong visa-free, but if you do not yet have a visa for Mainland China you can obtain a 5-day visa at some of Shenzhen’s border crossings (that you will only get to from Hong Kong by ferry, bus, or metro seen below on the map):
- HK Metro: It’s easy to take the Hong Kong metro to Futian or Luo Hu metro stations in Shenzhen and then take the Shenzhen metro to the end of line 11 and then take a car/taxi to us.
- Ferry: You can also take a ferry from Central or Kowloon to Shekou ferry port in Shenzhen and then transfer to the metro.
- Coach: Alternatively, you can take a cross-border coach to Shenzhen from numerous locations in Hong Kong, Prince Edward being a notable one, to the Luo Hu or Huanggang border points and taxi to the metro from there to complete your journey.
Remember, you will probably need Chinese RMB in cash to pay for the visa from the Visa office and they’re unlikely to take foreign cash or cards. It may also help to have some passport-sized photographs of yourself on hand, although they may take them and charge you for them if needed.
After obtaining the visa, you can head in via Shenzhen. To do this you would take the Shenzhen Metro Line 11 to its end and then take a taxi from either Songgang or Bitou station giving them our address (the port entry points all connect to the metro network and you can pay for single trip tickets in cash in the station using machines or from the help desk or purchase a Shenzhen metro card and top it up with cash there if you prefer):
To read more about travelling to us from Shenzhen, click here.
Once you arrive at Agilian
The taxi or car will pull up in our parking lot. The fastest way to get to us is to enter through this white door you’ll see beneath the large Agilian sign on the building, take the stairs and go up 2 flights. There you’ll see our reception:
Where to stay when visiting?
There are a few good hotels in Dongguan within 15 minutes by taxi from our facility:
- Pullman Hotel Changan 东莞君源铂尔曼酒店
Address in Chinese: 东莞市长安镇沙头社区靖海中路38号
[ACCOR GROUP LINK]
This is usually the hotel we recommend to our customers. Nice 5-star facilities and a good breakfast buffet that will satisfy most non-Chinese guests. And it is next to the “Chang’An” intercity train station that can take you to Shenzhen Airport.
- Ibis Styles DG Changan LightRail 宜必思尚品东莞长安轻轨站酒店
Address in Chinese: 东莞市长安镇沙头社区靖海中路36号
[TRIP.COM LINK]
A new hotel for budget travellers. Small but nice rooms. Local and simple breakfast, with a few fruits and simple coffee. Might be confusing for first-time visitors to China.
- Vienna Hotel Chang’an Station Bubugao 维也纳酒店广东东莞长安站步步高店Address in Chinese: 东莞市长安镇振安中路228号
[AGODA.COM LINK]
A Chinese hotel chain for budget travellers. Local and simple breakfast. Might be confusing for first-time visitors to China.
Here are the closest hotels shown on a map in relation to where we are:
And if you prefer to stay in Shenzhen, but still nearby:
- Hilton Garden Inn, Shenzhen, Bao’an 宝安希尔顿花园酒店
Address in Chinese: 中国深圳市宝安区新沙路529号This hotel is in Shenzhen, about 30 minutes away from us by taxi. As you’d expect from its brand, it’s a good and ‘no surprise’ international hotel with a decent breakfast buffet. It’s in a lively area, a few steps away from a McDonald’s, a Starbucks, a Pizza Hut, a Burger King, and a Walmart supermarket. It is about 25 min away from Shenzhen airport by taxi.
- Jinhai Hotel, Bao’an (Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center Xisha Road) 中国广东深圳宝安区沙井街西沙路42号1楼金海酒店
[TRIP.COM LINK]
Again, on the Shenzhen side, but still only about 15 minutes away from Agilian by car/taxi, this is a new, nice quality, and good value hotel that is very comfortable.
When to visit us
Agilian in Dongguan
Tuesdays and Thursdays are preferred for customer visits at Agilian in Dongguan and visits are always by appointment only.
Sofeast group Shenzhen HQ
We also provide the option to have a meeting in our group’s main Shenzhen office in the Huaqiangbei area of Shenzhen’s city center, but it is mainly an administrative office and you will not see any assembly or manufacturing-related activities there. We prefer customer visits on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but visits are also always by appointment only here, as well.
Please contact us in advance to arrange your visit.
Keeping in touch
If you’re travelling to us in China there are probably a couple of things you should do before your visit.
1. Arrange a way to use mobile data in China
Before you leave, please make sure you can use a data plan (probably with “roaming” on in your phone settings) when you are in mainland China. If for some reason you have no access to data, everything will be much more complicated. You probably won’t find free available wifi in the train stations.
A Chinese friend may be able to help you purchase a pay-as-you-go SIM in a mobile store, however, in Shenzhen, this has become more restricted for foreigners (in other cities it may be easier) and only China Unicom stores will sell a short-term SIM card, whereas China Mobile will not.
You may also be able to get a SIM in Hong Kong that allows roaming in Mainland China, so looking into that may also be a good option while you’re there (and they speak English in stores, too).
One of our customers purchased a SIM that worked in China from Airalo.com that worked well, and others are likely available.
2. Setup WeChat on your phone
WeChat is China’s ‘do everything’ app. If you travel to China it will disadvantage you not to have this app as everyone uses it to communicate, buy items, and a lot more. If you set up your account in advance our team can contact you via the app (calls or messages) if you get stuck when travelling to us, for example. Here’s a good guide to setting it up.
“Do I really need this app?”
If access to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google, and some other commonly-used websites and apps was not blocked in China then the answer would be no. But when you’re in China you need to be sure that you can communicate. WeChat is fully accessible and everyone uses it here, so if you need to contact us or any other Chinese contacts and friends, so this really is the best way.
3. Set up mobile payments
It will be very convenient for you if you activate the Alipay or WeChat Pay apps so you can pay via QR code. Cash and foreign debit or credit cards are not readily accepted in China, and certainly not by taxi drivers. These apps will allow you to link your foreign card and then scan QR codes to pay for things…and there are almost no limits to what you can pay (or must in many cases) pay for by QR code in China. If you have mobile payments you can also use the Didi ride-hailing app to take taxis/cars, and the Shenzhen Metro app to ride the underground there (although both of these are not essential).
