Wu Guangqiang

    “HAVE you goojjed?” Am I wrong? It should be “Have you googled?” No, I’m not wrong. Goojje is a nascent one-stop social Web site. It did not come into being until Jan. 14, 2010, so it still sounds strange to the majority of Web users. Its first hit product — said to be the world’s first social search engine — was launched in February 2011. It is so young that few netizens have heard of it. Despite its initial trouble including its wrangle with Google over alleged infringement, and public criticism of its copycatting, thanks to its original product, it is not only growing dazzlingly fast, but has attracted the attention of some venture capitalists.

    Goojje’s story is typical of the culture of entrepreneurship among young Chinese. A group of mostly young Shenzheners, all born in the 1980s, are trying to create a miracle similar to that of Tencent.

    What interests me is the soil where start-ups like Goojje are thriving. Shekou Net Valley is where Goojje and hundreds of other similar businesses are located.

    Shekou Industrial Zone (SIZ) was developed in the early 1980s by Hong Kong-based China Merchants Co. Ltd. A tiny place, Shekou was the forerunner of experimenting with China’s reform and opening. “Time is money” and “Efficiency is life” were first openly trumpeted by the Shekou leadership and later spread to the rest of the country, helping to shake off the shackles of ultra-leftist ideology pestering Chinese for decades. Shekou did enjoy many years of boom with its export-oriented industries. Its pioneering drive and innovative spirit have given birth to numerous business giants, such as China Merchants Bank, Ping An Insurance and China International Marine Containers.

    Nevertheless, soaring labor cost and industrial restructuring pressure have squeezed most of traditional industries out of SIZ. SIZ has made it an imminent task to transform this seaside town into an information technology-intensive hub.

    Back in 2008, SIZ launched the project of “Building a new Shekou,” with the aim of nurturing three major industries: the Internet-based IT, services for science and technology industries, and cultural creativity. The government of Nanshan District has been offering full support for the endeavor.

    Now, a massive revamp of old factory buildings and the construction of new office buildings are under way. Before long, an ultramodern IT industrial zone named Shekou Net Valley will emerge. The new industrial park will be a great magnet to a variety of infant industries including the mobile Internet, mobile phone chips designing, mobile games, application software and similar products.

    By now, dozens of businesses in the emerging industries have settled in Shekou Net Valley and most of them are doing well there. Some of them, though unfamiliar to us now, may grow into something big in the future.

    As planned, when completed, by 2015, Shekou Net Valley will house 500 businesses with an annual output of 30 billion yuan (US$4.59 billion).

    The realization of the goal won’t be an easy job. With the influx of hundreds of thousands of talented minds, Shekou is under intense pressure in terms of housing, children’s education, and even daily meal provision. Wenzhuyuan, a 30-year-old residential area, is under a thorough revamp. It will accommodate 1,300 engineers and administration staff on completion. Various government agencies are working with Shekou Net Valley managers to solve problems such as food and children’s education.

    The success of Shekou Net Valley will be of great significance to other parts of Shenzhen. Traditional industries are moving out and industrial upgrading is urgent. Shenzhen must avoid the mistake of hollowing out its industry that some developed economies have done.

    (The author is an English tutor and a freelance writer. He can be reached at jw368@163.com.)