Shenzhen, the once small, obscure fishing village in south China's Guangdong Province, has now transformed into one of the country's largest and most modern cities.

The city's soaring growth is due to China's reform and opening-up policy. Lin Ruolan, a Shenzhen resident, has witnessed the change of the city. She moved to Shenzhen at the age of nine with her family when the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone had just been established.

"The Nanshan District looked like countryside when I was young," she recalls. Today, the district is now home to innovative research centers and technology companies.

A growing number of technology companies are also calling Shenzhen home. The city is now a symbol of modernization, high technology and the future.

Shenzhen is also famous for its green development, with nearly 50 percent of its area covered in greenery. Here, nearly 1,000 free parks have no gates or walls.

Lin usually goes to the park for weekend trips with her family. "Those free parks in your neighborhood are for people to relax. Just put a picnic rug on the grass or fly kites."

Lin says her sense of belonging to Shenzhen is growing stronger as the city develops further. "Shenzhen is always sweet home in my mind,” she confesses.