Hong Kong to Conghua

Forgive me, will I need a VISA?

Yes, you need a visa obtained in advance to visit Conghua Racecourse because it is located outside the Shenzhen Special Economic zone where you could go by obtaining a visa on arrival at the border crossing.

In reality, there is an option by using 24 or 144 hour visa free transit, but I don't know whether you would want to use this option because it is relatively complex. I will describe it to you, so that you know this option:

- You have to take a morning flight from Hong Kong to Guangzhou
- From Guangzhou you can visit Conghua Racecourse that is close to Guangzhou city
- After the visit, you can proceed to Shenzhen by train or by bus
- From Shenzhen you will take a ferry from Shenzhen Shekou port to Macau
- From Macau immediately to Hong Kong

As I have told you, quite complicated, but this is the way to travel without visa to your destination.

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain. This is what I anticipated. One final question: if, perhaps, the Hong Kong Jockey Club or a related group is hosting a group bus trip, would being part of such a group or tour change the requirements?

Actually, yes... You can theoretically become eligible for 6-Day Visa Exemption for Tourists to Pearl River Delta. Following is the quoted explanation:

"Citizens holding passports issued by the nations with diplomatic relations with China are exempted from China visas if they join a tourist group at Hong Kong or Macau organized by registered travel agencies in HK and Macau to visit the Pearl River Delta region for tourism and stay up to 6 days."

Guangzhou and the surroundings are part of Pearl River Delta region, of course.

So, if your are traveling in a tourist group organized by relevant agency as an organized group, this is possible. You should definitely talk to the people from the Hong Kong Jockey Club whether they could arrange a group of foreigners that would like to participate in an organized bus trip, but with the approval of the authorized agency. Please, keep in mind that the people from Hong Kong are not considered as foreigners in mainland China, so you cannot count on them as members of the group.