Shenzhen is located at the southern tip of the Chinese mainland on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Pearl River and neighbors Hong Kong. Occupying an area of 1,953 square kilometers, the city has a subtropical marine climate with plenty of rain and sunshine and is rich in tropical fruit. By the end of 2009, there were 8.9123 million permanent residents, of whom 2.4145 million had hukou (household registration).

The brainchild of Deng Xiaoping, the country's first special economic zone was established here by the Chinese Government in 1980. It has been a touchstone for China's reform and opening-up policy since then.

In less than 30 years, Shenzhen, a tiny border town of 30,000 people in 1979, has grown into a modern metropolis. It established many firsts in the history of world industrialization, urbanization and modernization.

A gateway to the world for China, Shenzhen is one of the most developed cities in China and a city that has grown the fastest. Its per capita GDP ranks first among China's major cities.

The city is also the high-tech and manufacturing hub in southern China, the world's fourth-busiest container port, China's fourth-busiest airport and China's fourth-largest tourist destination. In 2009, Shenzhen mapped out plans to promote the development of three new industries - namely biotech, new energy and Internet - which are expected to become pillar high-tech industries that yield 650 billion yuan (US$95 billion) in output value by 2015.

The high-tech, logistics, financial services and cultural industries are mainstays of the city. Shenzhen is the first mainland city to use green GDP, an index of economic growth with environmental consequences of that growth factored in, as a performance measure for the city's development. The city's economic development features low-cost, low-energy consumption but high yield and high profit.

Shenzhen has taken the path of independent innovation to build a State-level innovation-oriented city. In 2009, the city's number of patent applications jumped to third place on the mainland, exceeding 20,000. It had 8,132 patent authorizations, ranking second in China. Its PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) applications numbered 3,800 last year, topping China for the sixth consecutive year.

The city is also well-known for design and has more than 6,000 design companies employing a total of more than 60,000 people. On Nov. 19, 2008, Shenzhen was named a member of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network and awarded the title of City of Design by UNESCO.

Shenzhen is an ecological garden city, with half the total area within a demarcation line for nature protection where construction is banned. The urban greenbelt coverage in developed areas is 45.3 percent, with a per capita green area of 16.3 square meters. In recent years, it has won prestigious honors, including Nations in Bloom, UNEP's Global Top 500 Laureate Roll of Honor, National Garden City, National Civil City and a special gold prize for ozone protection, from international organizations and the Chinese Government.

Shenzhen is a city of compassion, with a deeply rooted volunteer culture. Voted China's most favorable city by migrant workers, it motivates Project Care each year in a call for care for disadvantaged groups and has thus been called "a city without winter."

A picturesque coastal city, Shenzhen is a popular tourist destination in South China and has been listed by the Chinese Government as an Excellent Tourist City. It was named one of the world's 31 must-see tourist destinations in 2010 by The New York Times.

Shenzhen is best known for its theme parks. The nature reserves and coastal resorts are also a magnet for world travelers.

Shenzhen will host the 26th Summer Universiade in 2011, to become the youngest host city in the Games' history. The Universiade is the third international sports competition to be hosted by a Chinese city after the Beijing Olympic Games and the Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Basics of Shenzhen

The development of Shenzhen, a gateway for China to the outside world, is regarded as the epitome of the country's drive to reform and modernization.

Geographic Location

Shenzhen is a coastal city in South China, adjoining Hong Kong. Its longitude lies between 113.46 and 114.37 degrees east and latitude between 22.27 and 22.52 degrees north. Sitting south of the Tropic of Cancer, it is in southern Guangdong Province. Demarcated from Hong Kong by the Shenzhen River in the south, it is bordered by Dongguan and Huizhou in the north, Daya Bay and Dapeng Bay in the east and the Lingding Sea and the mouth of the Pearl River in the west.

Natural Resources

The total area of Shenzhen is 1,952.84 square kilometers.

Shenzhen has more than 310 rivers and streams, which are associated with the hydrographic systems of the Dongjiang River, coastal bays and the Pearl River mouth. There are 220 water conservation projects in the city, including 172 reservoirs storing a total volume of 579 million cubic meters. Shenzhen Reservoir in the east has a total volume of more than 40 million cubic meters. It is the main water source for Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Shenzhen has 230 kilometers of coastline rich in marine life and products. Deep-water ports have been built at various locations in the city. Several scenic mountains range across Shenzhen, the highest peak Wutong Mountain being 944 meters. The city has rich natural resources, ideal for developing tourism. In the east lie the popular beach resorts of Dameisha, Xiaomeisha and Dapeng Bay. In the west are scenic areas, including the Mangrove Nature Reserve, Inner Lingding Island and Waterlands Resort.

Demographics

There had been migration to southern Guangdong and what is now Shenzhen since the late Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) but the numbers increased dramatically after Shenzhen was established. By the end of 2009, the permanent resident population reached 8.9123 million, of which 2.4145 million, or 27.1 percent, had permanent hukou and 6.4978 million were non-hukou households, or 72.9 percent.

Migrant Culture

As a city of migrants, Shenzhen is open-minded, tolerant and innovative. It is an ideal place for domestic and international talent to start businesses. It has been voted as China's Most Dynamic City and City Most Favored by Migrant Workers.

Shenzhen has been ranked the most competitive city on the mainland for four consecutive years by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Languages

Shenzhen is the only city in Guangdong in which Mandarin is the dominant language because of the migrants from all over China. Many public service employees, professionals and businesspeople can speak English. Most of the young speak English and Cantonese. The "Speak. Shenzhen" campaign is conducted across the city to encourage more residents and government employees to learn to speak English.

Climate

Shenzhen has a subtropical marine climate. The weather is generally temperate to mild, with plenty of rain and sunshine. The annual average temperature is 22.4 degrees Celsius. A total of 355 days a year are frost free. The yearly rainfall totals 1,933.3 millimeters and the average number of hours of sunshine is 2,120.5.

Official Trees and Flower

The litchi and mangrove are Shenzhen's official trees and bougainvillea is the official flower.

(sz.gov.cn August 26, 2010)