Happy birthday to Shenzhen 40th (1980-2020)

A light show on Monday marks the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone‘s founding in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The economic zone was launched on Aug 26, 1980. [Photo by Lin Zhijian/for China Daily]

"I was confident in the land‘s future, despite its bleakness back then," Chan Wai-kuen said about her first encounter with Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

Chan, now in her 80s, was one of the first Hong Kong businesspeople to invest in the city after its opening-up.

On June 28, 1982, her first project in the city－Shekou Shopping Center－opened, officially as "a metal warehouse".

Her memories of that day remain fresh. "People elbowed in, even some floor tiles broke under the trampling of the crowds," she said.

She sold 500 fans and 150 color televisions that day, exhausting all her stock and recouping her investment.

The "metal warehouse" developed into a 35-floor tower on the same site in 1995.

Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, a de facto experimental area to pilot reforms before their rollout nationwide.

Yet, as Chan‘s story indicates, over the past 40 years, the city itself gained tremendously from its mission of becoming a trailblazer in the development of the country.

Last year, the city‘s gross domestic product exceeded 2.6 trillion yuan ($376.22 billion), comparable to Singapore. Its per capita GDP is about $30,000, similar to that of France.

The fundamental changes in the city have shaped its character and have further promoted its development by instilling in its residents a spirit of entrepreneurship, something that had been long lost in the planned economy era.

According to statistics released on Tuesday by Meituan Bike, a leading bike sharing company, Shenzhen residents get up the earliest and go to bed the latest among people in major Chinese cities.