Shenzhen, China’s first special economic zone has been regarded as a resplendent bright pearl on the seashore of South China and a legend rarely seen throughout the world.

Before 1979, Shenzhen was only a small border village, rarely known to the world; but nowadays, it has developed into a large modern metropolis in China. It is surely in the front ranks among China’s large and medium-sized cities, with competitive economic strength, and a GDP per capita that is the highest in the Chinese Mainland. It is considered to be one of the cities yielding the best economic returns. Shenzhen is a city suited for dwelling with its beautiful environment and warm climate, located on the shore of the South China Sea. Flowers bloom here likes pieces of brocades, all year round and green grass spreads here like carpets. It not only shows prosperity of a modern city, but also tranquility of a rural town, with the vast ocean and rare fine hills at nearby. The ancient towns and residences here tell vicissitudes of life, and neon lights on the streets present modern fashion. Such cultural and recreational facilities as parks are open to the citizens free of charge. The economy grows.here in unison and in harmony with society and with nature.

Shenzhen is a pioneering city, with innovation and limitless vitality. Shenzhen people dare to pioneer, dare to try and dare to do anything new. In the absence of experience, Shenzhen people have to “wade across the stream by feeling the way”, as the Chinese saying goes, and by now, it has accomplished the following missions: from bidding for construction projects, to transferring the use rights of state-owned land with compensation; from reforming labor and employment system, to abolishing “Ration Coupons” and decontrolling prices; from taking the lead in issuing stock, to establishing the Foreign Exchange Swap Center; from proposing the concept of market economy “Time is Money, Efficiency is Life”, to fully establishing a socialist market economic system… With their own practice, Shenzhen people interpret vividly the slogan - “Development is the Absolute Principle”. They create one miracle after another with astonishing “Shenzhen Speed”. In deepening the reform, expanding the opening-up, innovating the institutional system, upgrading the industry, adjusting the structure, etc., Shenzhen has provided the whole country with valuable experience and a model to be replicated. Shenzhen has taken the lead in establishing a socialist market economy framework and working out regulations that are in accordance with international practices, and thus the corresponding concept of efficiency and competition has taken shape.

Shenzhen is a pragmatic, efficient, vigorous and dynamic city. In the first ten years of its foundation, the mainstay of the city was the secondary sector of the so-called “San Lai Yi Bu” in Chinese that bears the meaning of “processing with supplied material, assembling parts supplied by clients, processing with customer’s samples and compensatory trade”. However,, during the last decade of the 20th century, the people of Shenzhen were prepared for hard times in a period of economic prosperity, in order to keep pace with competitors, to optimize their industrial structure on a big scale, while still sustaining 30% economic growth and developing high-tech industries, which make it possible for world-famous industries, like Huawei and ZTE to emerge in large numbers. Shenzhen, after a speedy and sustained economic growth period, is now faced with four serious problems: land resource deficit, natural resource shortage, unbearable population growth and a serious overuse of its environmental capacity. Thus, a process has begun to explore  new ways of development, such as turning the way of “Speedy Shenzhen” into the one of “Efficient Shenzhen” and “Harmonious Shenzhen”. Both models require an extension of 5 years to realize the goals of socialist modernization.. Shenzhen is a city full of equality and freedom, her people come from all corners of the country, and thus its population structure creates a unique cultural tapestry that can contain all walks of life in a non-judgmental atmosphere. Various kinds of territorial cultures join, synchronize and influence one another here in Shenzhen and draw the strong points from one another, forming a new, open and adaptable culture of Shenzhen. Here you do not have to worry that you will be discriminated against because of your race, belief, education, or place of origin, and you will not be ridiculed or derided for your business failure; you won't be held back on account of your novel ideas and not be discriminated against for your unique life style, and then you will live in a city where the people get along peacefully. Shenzhen is a city ready to display an abundance of love and to help and to serve others. Its people advocate the idea of “Being Grateful” as they participate in public welfare work, offer contributions or devotions to the Hope Project, and donate blood or body organs, without compensation. It is here in Shenzhenthat, that the first organization of volunteers in China has been set up, in which numerous people like Cong Fei, a symbol of the body, have come to the fore. Statistics show that Shenzhen, in population proportion, comes in first in China, in both the number of volunteers and donations of blood, cornea and hematopoietic stem cells. Such sayins as “If you smile upon the world, it will smile upon you” and “I feel thankful for you, though I do not know you” have become widely popular, and it has become trendy to be a volunteer.

Shenzhen, with its broadmindedness and extraordinary charisma, is be bound to become a high-grade international eco-city, step by step with a good ecological environment and harmonious coexistence between man and nature in the future.