China
11:11, 07-Sep-2017
The Big Picture: Shenzhen, shakes it up
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Shenzhen, once an experimental village for capitalism, has grown into a showcase for China’s opening up. Today, this metropolis is developing into a city embodying the country's future.
Thirty years ago, it had only 30,000 people. Now it is a city of more than 10 million and home to some of the world’s largest companies, with the fourth largest economy in China. Its miracle has been unprecedented in human history.
Spirit of entrepreneurship
One of the most frequently asked questions is: what’s the key to Shenzhen’s success?
CGTN spoke to Zhou Luming, former head of the Shenzhen Science & Technology Association, and president of Shenzhen Radical Innovator, an incubator company for firms in sectors such as IT security, e-commerce and digital health. He believes it’s the spirit of entrepreneurship that has inspired Shenzhen’s amazing growth.
Zhou Luming, Shenzhen CRI Innovation Center. /CGTN Photo
Zhou Luming, Shenzhen CRI Innovation Center. /CGTN Photo
“Many of those dissatisfied came to Shenzhen. By changing the institutional elements that impede innovation, it has greatly boosted innovation. This has been the core of Shenzhen’s success,” said Zhou.
Bill Liu, CEO of a Shenzhen start-up, commends the flexibility of the city, saying it is far more adaptable to new ideas than other places.
Bill Liu, chairman & CEO, Royole Corporation. /CGTN Photo
Bill Liu, chairman & CEO, Royole Corporation. /CGTN Photo
A Stanford University graduate, Liu founded Royole Corporation in 2012. His company has broken fresh ground in display technologies and developed new methods of human-machine interactions.
“When I came to the city in 2010, I found this is really a unique place, he said. "The spirit here is great for startups. If you have some creative ideas, you can quickly turn ideas to products.”
Shaping the future
Overnight, this sprawling urban city north of Hong Kong has become an incubator for cutting-edge design, and the world’s center of hardware.
The developments herald Shenzhen’s next phase as a laboratory for the future. The city is evolving from Made in China to Designed in China.
Shenzhen’s R&D projects. /CGTN Photo
Shenzhen’s R&D projects. /CGTN Photo
Zhou Luming explained that changes in the global innovation chain have brought huge opportunities for Chinese startups in new industries. Shenzhen has the complete production chain, and that helps it to play a bigger role.
Zhou believes China will have a new role as a creator, rather than simply following or imitating others.
“Combining domestic demand and manufacturing sectors, with advanced countries’ laboratories, Shenzhen has created many new industries. Stories like this are happening now,” he added.
Bill Liu is also optimistic about the future. “There’s definitely a lot of exciting things happening in the next five to 10 years," he said. "As long as we keep the openness, the creativity, there will certainly be a bright future.”
1944km