Shenzhen 深圳

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Just across the Hong Kong border lies UNESCO-awarded city of design Shenzhen, a southern Chinese metropolis that has exploded in size since it became a Special Economic Zone in 1979. Once a market town of 300,000, it is now the stomping ground of over 20 million citizens across 11 districts. While it is home to mainland China’s first stock market and McDonald’s, the city has a lot more to offer than the window it has provided into the world of capitalism.

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China's decision to turn what was formerly a town of 300,000 into a special economic zone resulted in a boom that enabled sophisticated urban planning and the construction of dazzling architectural wonders. With sleek skyscrapers stretching to the sky, bold museums, and a monumental library and the world's largest exhibition center, the city is a space for visionaries to experiment. It’s no surprise then that Shenzhen earned the status of UNESCO City of Design.

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Much more than a shopping and electronics destination, Shenzhen is fast becoming China’s creative capital. The relatively young age of its population alongside a kind of ‘anything goes’ attitude means it has become an exciting place to make and experience art. Whether it’s a visit to the studios and galleries at the city’s cultural heart OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, or a trip to the singular Dafen Oil Painting Village, Shenzhen’s creative offerings will not disappoint.

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Shenzhen's relative newness and its reputation as a city of opportunity has been a pull for Chinese from across the vast country. It's home to a dizzying array of cuisines and cultures, and while the main language is Mandarin, you're just as likely to hear Cantonese or dialects from far further North. A trip to Dongmen street food market will reveal the extent of the diversity in China’s interloper capital.

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Shenzhen has garnered accolades for being a city of miracles. Like Dick Whittington's London being paved with gold, here opportunity awaits the hardworking and ambitious. There are said to be more residents with PHDs in Shenzhen than anywhere else in China. Success stories abound – like that of Frank Wang at leading drone manufacturer DJI – and reflect the frenetic and unstoppable energy harnessed in the metropolis.

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Building on its former reputation as ‘the world’s workshop,’ Shenzhen has become a leading light in the modern ‘maker’ movement. Its residents have accrued considerable manufacturing and electronics know-how, ingraining a DIY mindset that has been driving progress and drawing attention worldwide.

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The story of Shenzhen would not be complete without talk of the millions who have poured into the city from across social strata and economic backgrounds. While the rich reside in gated communities or expansive and modern neighborhoods, wedged between them are dense warrens of low-rent makeshift shops and homes. Shenzhen’s urban villages originate from the villages that existed before the city’s boom, and offer a fascinating look at how spaces develop organically and according to the immediate needs of their residents.

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Shenzhen's story of breakneck development is thoroughly unique. In the past 30 years, urban GDP rose by a phenomenal 27 per cent annually, dramatically enhancing living standards for the whole population. With skyscrapers being constructed at unprecedented rates, the pace of industrialization and urbanization is a testament to the go-getting attitude of its residents.

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Mercurial metropolis Shenzhen is a unique city in many respects. Just over 30 years old, it has developed at a breakneck pace to become an electronics hub that’s home to exciting and bold new architecture alongside a number of curious cultural offerings. With China’s youngest population and also the highest number of migrants, there are so many experiences you can have here that you just wouldn’t be able to replicate anywhere else.

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Pay a visit to Mainland China's first stock exchange 6park.com
Mainland China's economic opening up saw Shenzhen transformed from a series of small villages into a bustling powerhouse over a mindbogglingly short time period. The first stock exchange in China (excluding former British colony Hong Kong, of course) can now be found in an impressive 49 storey skyscraper in Futian district, where it has been located since 2013. The stock exchange itself was officially opened in 1987 and is now the world's 8th largest.

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Dive into electronics and technology treasure trove that is Huaqiangbei street 6park.com
Fancy an virtual reality headset at a knock off price? Or what about a 3D printer? Whether you’re into innovation and consider yourself a “maker” with strong tech know, or you just want to find the cable that’s been eluding you, a visit this vibrant district will be an experience like no other. The spirit of Shenzhen – a city transitioning from being a electronics manufacturing hub to one of tech innovation – is embodied in this street like nowhere else.

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Explore the urban villages 6park.com
Shenzhen mght be a young city, but that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of legacies of older times. Wedged between the shiny skyscrapers and massive roads you’ll find a unique slice of city life. These urban villages are found in the locations of the original villages that existed before Shenzhen became a Special Administrative region. It’s evolved organically, frenetically and outside the remit of urban planners and is home to many migrants trying to survive in the city on a shoestring.

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Visit what claims to be the world’s biggest bookstore 6park.com
China is famous for many things, but what tends to go under the radar is the huge love of books its citizens share. This reverential respect for the written word can be found in Book City, which on a weekend will have a lively vibe akin to that of a music festival. This vast store also boasts a 24 hour book bar, if you want to pull an all nighter with a novel you just can’t put down. 6park.com
Boasting over three million books, Shenzhen Book City is believed to be the largest book mall in China, complete with a 24 hour bookstore. If you’re really feeling literary, why not head down to one of the city’s writers groups, where expats gather and share their latest works. Arty OCT Loft will definitely welcome the bookish among you.

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Loom over the Eiffel Tower and other miniature sites 6park.com
Windows of the World is a peculiar amusement park. It hosts replica land marks in miniature. With a minute Eiffel Tower alongside a tiny leaning tower of Pisa and Pyramids of Eygpt, this is a kitschy experience but worth a look.

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Watch birds migrating from Siberia in the mangroves of Shenzhen Bay 6park.com
China’s smallest national park boasts coconut palm tree shaded walks and rare sightings of birds making their winter homes. Though there were plans to build a freeway through the habitat, environmentalists protested and the freeway moved north by 200 metres.

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Revel in History at Chiwan Old Fort 6park.com
Shenzhen might only technically be less than half a century old, but that doesn’t mean the place itself doesn’t have much history. This small and secluded fort might not be the easiest to find, but it’s worth a visit for those interested in the Opium Wars and military forts. Built in 1717 during the Qing dynasty to protect the Pearl River from the British, what remains is the “left fort” complete with a cannon and a statue of Lin Zexu, the scholar-official who forcefully opposed the Opium trade and such became a catalyst for the start of the First Opium War.

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Rent a Bike at Shenzhen Bay Park 6park.com
Occupying a 13 kilometre long stretch along Shenzhen’s southern coast, Shenzhen Bay Park proves a popular day out and offers an different slice of Pearl River Delta life away from the high rise hustle and bustle. Nearby you’ll also find an ecological park and nature reserve that’s home to many species of endangered birds and mangroves.

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The frenetic city has seen phenomenal changes over the last thirty years, but there’s a lot more to the mega-city than cheap massage parlors and flashy bankers.

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Shenzhen Today is Unrecognizable to Those Who Lived There Thirty Years Ago. 6park.com
Up until the ’80s, Shenzhen had been a market town of 30,000 inhabitants, surrounded by paddy fields. In 1979, China’s leader, Deng Xiaoping, turned the town to a city when he designated it a “Special Economic Zone.” This was an experiment with policy reform that would serve as a testing ground for the rest of China. Soon after, Shenzhen became one of the fastest growing cities in the world and other Chinese cities started following suit. Skyscrapers transformed the cityscape at a dizzying rate during an extended building boom funded by a vibrant economy. Shenzhen is now home to over 20 million people.

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It Has the Youngest Average Age of Residents in China and is a City of Migrants. 6park.com
With its reputation for prosperity and opportunity, Shenzhen has become a magnet for the young, the bold, and the ambitious from all across China. The age of residents averages at below thirty. From highly educated migrants with PhDs relocating from China’s first-tier cities to factory workers coming in from the countryside hoping to transform their fortunes, the city is as chaotic as it is industrious. Home to China’s largest population of migrants, Shenzhen is a city of colliding cultures.

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While The Special Economic Zone Itself is Relatively New, the Region is not Devoid of History. 6park.com
With its vast, gleaming malls and sprawling skyscrapers, Shenzhen might have become a symbol of a China careering towards modernity at full speed, but it is not without its traditional charm. Shenzhen boasts a number of heritage spaces and venues that tell of a history of settlers stretching back millennia. Shenzhen’s rich and fascinating history also features a series of piracy incursions, when the town played an integral role in the escalating tensions that lead to the opium wars.

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It's Been Named a UNESCO City of Design and is Fast Becoming China’s Creative Capital. 6park.com
A city that continues to reinvent itself, Shenzhen's experiment with capitalism saw the city transform into a manufacturing hub. It provided cheap labor for Hong Kong factories moving north and profiting from an increasing demand for “Made in China” knock-off goods. But the last decade has seen a new shift as a center of innovation and creativity. Branding itself the world’s biggest “maker” city, it is becoming a hub for all kinds of design and a boasts a great number of entrepreneurial success stories.

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With a Wealth of Green Spaces, Shenzhen is China's Most Garden Rich City. 6park.com
Shenzhen grew fast, but that doesn't mean its urban planning wasn't forward thinking. In fact, with around 50% of streets lined with trees, parks, and green spaces, it's not your stereotypical Chinese “urban jungle.” 6park.com
With more gardens per capita than any other Chinese city, Shenzhen is a strong example of how modernity and nature can coexist in a way that makes urban environments feel more livable.

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People have always said that Shenzhen is nothing more than a cultural wasteland, but I see a city with endless potential. People think this city is uncultivated, but they don’t know the seeds have been quietly sprouting this whole time. 6park.com
Our generation is constantly labeled, as rebels,as renegades,as misfits. Underneath the noise,I knew we were so much more. I saw conviction,I saw perseverance,I saw hope. 6park.com
Here in our city we choose to live for no one but ourselves. We choose to swim against the current,to defy societal expectations. We choose to create our own destiny. For those who are truly willing to live,life’s possibilities are endless.

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This is Shenzhen 6park.com
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