In 2025, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone celebrated its 45th anniversary.
In just over four decades, Shenzhen’s population has surged past 20 million, and its GDP has soared beyond 3.4 trillion yuan. What was once a coastal swamp has been transformed into a pilot demonstration zone for socialism with Chinese characteristics, evolving from a small town into a key hub of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Once a small, ancient village with a population of 30,000 as recently as the 1970s, the modern city of Shenzhen has evolved into a state-of-the-art tech and financial global epicenter.
In 1980, the then-Communist Party leader Deng Xiaoping designated the southern town as one of four Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
SEZs receive special tax benefits and preferential treatment for foreign investment. Shenzhen grew exponentially and its GDP per capita grew 33,479% from 1979 to 2019. Shenzhen’s GDP surpassed U.S.$381 billion in 2019 because of its successful tech sector.
Today, over 310 Fortune Global 500 companies have invested in Shenzhen. In the first half of this year alone, Shenzhen’s imports and exports reached 2.2 trillion yuan, with the city’s export volume leading the nation for 31 consecutive years.