Standing in Qianhai Stone Park in south China's Shenzhen, visitors can take in a striking panorama of blue waters, sandy beaches and lush greenery, with cargo ships entering the port and planes taking off in the distance, while skyscrapers rise behind them.

Once a barren stretch of tidal flats, Qianhai has been transformed into a vibrant modern urban district in just a few years.

Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, located in Shenzhen's southern coastal area and adjacent to Hong Kong, is one of the country's flagship reform zones to deepen cooperation between the two cities.

In September 2021, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council issued a plan to expand the zone from 14.92 square kilometers to 120.56 square kilometers, laying the foundation for the development of "Greater Qianhai."

The plan positioned Qianhai as a pilot platform for comprehensive reform and innovation, a gateway and hub for high-level opening up, and a leading area for deeper Shenzhen-Hong Kong integration.

Over the past five years, reform measures have been systematically implemented, with 14 institutional innovations recognized as national firsts. 

Its experience is offering a practical path for connecting rules, regulations and professional standards across the boundary, while creating new opportunities for people and businesses on both sides.

Modern services gain strength

The zone's gross domestic product nearly doubled from 175.57 billion yuan (around $26.2 billion) in 2021 to 331.81 billion yuan (around $49.4 billion) in 2025, underscoring its strong growth momentum.

The expansion of Qianhai has brought more than just a larger geographical footprint.

As the cooperation zone extended into Shenzhen's Nanshan and Bao'an districts, resources in technological innovation, advanced manufacturing, port logistics and airport-related exhibition industries were incorporated into a broader development framework.

The expansion has also given Qianhai's modern service industries greater room to grow and strengthened links between services and the real economy. In 2025, the added value of Qianhai's modern service sector reached 218.2 billion yuan (about $32.5 billion), accounting for 84.2% of the zone's total service-sector output.

Meanwhile, emerging industries including artificial intelligence (AI), embodied intelligent robotics, smart terminals, the low-altitude economy and marine industries are gaining ground.

"The next stage of Qianhai's development will focus on enabling modern services and advanced manufacturing to reinforce each other," said a deputy director at the China Development Institute's Qianhai branch.

That vision is already taking shape. A city-district coordinated program supporting AI and embodied intelligence backed nearly 10 companies in its first year, with total funding exceeding 60 million yuan (approximately $8.94 million).

Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation deepens

Five years of successive policy rollouts have kept the Qianhai Plan in lockstep with Hong Kong's annual Policy Addresses and the Northern Metropolis development blueprint – a clear reflection of the coordinated institutional logic under the "one country, two systems" framework.

Qianhai is now home to about 13,000 Hong Kong residents and more than 11,000 Hong Kong-funded enterprises.

Huang Ziqian, chief Hong Kong and Macao liaison expert at the Qianhai Authority, noted that mutual professional qualification recognition has broken new ground: So far, professionals from 27 sectors in Hong Kong can practice in Qianhai after completing registration procedures, with the veterinary profession among the latest sectors included.

Exchanges between young people have also become increasingly regular. Hong Kong secondary school students visit Qianhai every month to attend the "First Class in Qianhai" program, where they learn about emerging industries such as AI and embodied robotics.

The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub, known as E-Hub, has also become a major platform for young Hong Kong entrepreneurs.

Since September 2024, the hub has rolled out its "1510" program, offering services at one yuan per square meter per month, a 500-million-yuan entrepreneurship fund and 100,000 square meters of startup space. 

Since its establishment, the hub has incubated 1,180 Hong Kong startup teams.

Building a living circle

Beyond business and industry, Qianhai has also pushed for greater integration in areas closely linked to daily life.

The 2021 plan called for creating a more convenient space for Hong Kong residents to live and work, and Qianhai has since accelerated efforts to align rules and facilitate the flow of people and public services.

A Shenzhen-Hong Kong "half-hour living circle" is gradually taking shape.

Eight cross-border bus routes and dedicated services now connect Qianhai with Hong Kong and Macao, while a trip to Hong Kong Island can take about 1.5 hours. Six metro lines provide convenient transfers, and four ferry routes connect the area with Hong Kong's Central District in about an hour.

China's first batch of integrated sea-air cross-border helicopter routes have also entered service, cutting travel time to Hong Kong's Shun Tak Heliport to about 20 minutes.

Integration has also expanded to education and healthcare. Qianhai has established eight schools for the children of foreign nationals and one school for Hong Kong students, with more than 2,500 Hong Kong students currently enrolled.

The area is also home to the country's first Greater Bay Area primary healthcare standards organization, while all five of its tertiary hospitals have obtained qualifications under the Hong Kong-Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect program.