Question

1. In your opinion, what will be the future of Shenzhen? For example, do you think Shenzhen will outsource all manufacturing production to other provinces in China or other countries? Will China become more focused on the service sector like the US? Or, do you think the gentrification in the city of Shenzhen will become worse?

Answer 1

Shenzhen is known as the world's factory because so much of our stuff is made there. 90% of the world's electronics come from Shenzhen, including toy, televisions, air conditioning units, mobile phones and drones. The city has grown and developed in line with the world's insatiable demand for electronic goods, is now one of China's largest cities as well as its wealthiest. It has the country's highest property prices l, the highest per capita GDP in China and ranks number eight on the the global list of cities with the most billionaires. Ten of thousands of foreign buyers are there from all over the world to source products, and it is now Mainland China's second most important Centre for finance after Shanghai.

Just 30 years ago, however, Shenzhen was just an ordinary fishing village. Ordinary, that is, until it was chosen as China's first special economic zone to pilot the country's efforts to open up to overseas investors by offering preferential policies.

Thus began its gratification. And the gratification is far from over. Two things help Shenzhen in its transformation.

* The size and scale of goods and skills available.

* its attitude to design.

Shenzhen, as world's largest manufacturing hub attracts enormous amounts of freelance mechanical and electrical engineers. And the lack of intellectual property rights makes all design open source, leading to collaboration rather than traditional model of closely-guarded prototypes. And it is this ethos which provides the best clue as to how the world's largest manufacturing hub-once a humble fishing village--may develop next.