Shenzhen at 25
By George Zhibin Gu
Asia Times
The list of world cities with over 10 million residents isn't very long, and mostly contains familiar names like Tokyo, Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, and New York City. But what if we were to ask: out of these megacities, which had a mere 20,000 residents only 25 years ago? Only one name would remain: Shenzhen, China.
Shenzhen, a "special economic zone" (SEZ) located in south China's Guangdong province just north of Hong Kong, has become the economic locomotive of the region since it was founded 25 years ago as a kind of "laboratory" for market-oriented economic reforms. The city's annual growth rate since then, averaging 28% since 1980, has no equal in the world.
The urban landscape left by the dizzying growth is awesome, with
countless office towers, hotels, shopping centers and apartments. Observant visitors, after spending a bit of time in the city, might notice another odd fact: the average resident is in the twenties.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/GI27Ad02.html
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