Forty years ago, a number of Chinese coastal cities were chosen as the test-points for the Reform and Opening up policies. Today we look at one of the pioneer cities Shenzhen. It is known for its transformation from a tiny fishing village into one of the most appealing mega-cities for the Chinese, especially young people. What makes it so popular and what have people been chasing there for forty years? CGTN's Feng Yilei has the story.

"How did that come about?" Walking down the memory lane.

Photographer Yang Yankang began his career in Shenzhen in the restaurant that used to stand here. At that time, he was a pastry chef.

YANG YANKANG, PHOTOGRAPHER AGENCE VU "December 31st, 1984 is a day I will always remember. I left Guizhou province for Shenzhen after my friends working in the army corps of engineers told me how vibrant this city is."

Just like the construction soldiers, Yang was one of the early pioneers involved in Shenzhen's policy reform while contributing to its economic boom.

"The dismantled building will probably become a new shopping center."

And as the urban landscape changed at a "Shenzhen speed", so did Yang's life path. By chance, he went to work at a local photography magazine and began his adventures with a camera.

YANG YANKANG, PHOTOGRAPHER AGENCE VU "In the first two years, I filmed migrant workers' life a lot at weekends with a camera from the office. I am a migrant worker in Shenzhen as well and I felt like filming them is filming myself. It is this city that helped me, and gave me a chance to keep a record of my ideas."

Yang soon became an independent artist and set up his own studio, subsidized by a friend and the government with low-rent housing.

He started traveling nationwide to do more documentary photography and his works have gone global. But wherever he goes, Yang says Shenzhen is the "home front" for him to create freely and leisurely. The city and its people remain his source of inspiration and an important subject.

YANG YANKANG, PHOTOGRAPHER AGENCE VU "Last year when I filmed urban villages and technoparks with Magnum Photos, I was impressed by young people getting to work early in the morning energetically. Time flies. Many migrant laborers of my age have left, yet young graduates come. Generation by generation, they've all devoted themselves to the growth of the city. It's meaningful to capture these changes."

And innovation is changing the way such changes are captured. This intelligent robot has a pair of camera eyes that feature infra-red imaging and facial recognition systems. It can track and trace the city's various kinds of terrain as a human would.

It is developed by UBTECH- a Shenzhen-based unicorn startup focusing on AI and humanoid robots. It's CEO Zhou Jian's second attempt in entrepreneurship and a realization of his robot dream.

ZHOU JIAN, CEO UBTECH "My early business was basically imitating German technologies, but now I think what I'm doing is completely independent."

Zhou says the general entrepreneurial environment in Shenzhen has also changed these years. Policy focus and venture capital has shifted from traditional manufacturing to innovation and core technologies. That's why he decided to set up a company here after his team developed their own servos for robot.

ZHOU JIAN, CEO UBTECH "Robot-manufacturing requires a massive supply chain. We have industry-leading manufacturers of sensors and 3D cameras here at China's Silicon Valley. It's time- and cost-effective for us."

UBTECH is but one out of some 11 thousand high-tech companies in Shenzhen. Last year, they contributed 4 percent of the city's total GDP and over 40 percent of the country's international patent applications. And for Zhou Jian and Yang Yankang, both are seeking to make a difference and contributions.

"I did a photo studio project here for the Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale. I took photos of some residents' family trees. The photos reflect their ties to the city. After being in Shenzhen for 34 years, I think I should give back."

FENG YILEI SHENZHEN "From settler to inheritor, from entrepreneur to innovator, dreams and miracles have materialized in Shenzhen, and millions have reshaped this one-time fishing village and are driving it towards its next boom. FYL, CGTN, Shenzhen."