Wang Haolan

Holly_cn@163.com

IF you open today’s China Daily, your eyes will be stunned by a sapphire-colored banner presenting a bird’s-eye view of Shenzhen Bay and a Bougainvillea-shaped graphic on an eight-page special supplement marking the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Under the title “Smart Shenzhen, Stunning Shenzhen,” the supplement has coordinated eight special pages elaborating on the accomplishments Shenzhen has earned over the past 40 years in the fields of reform and opening up, innovation and talent, scientific research, business environment, ecological and environmental protection, cultural and creative industries, urban civilization and expatriate residents.

The “Smart Shenzhen” section has a roc-shaped, golden headline giving the readers background information concerning the city’s basic profile, indices of economic growth over the past 40 years, and an overview of its industrial structure. With a bay view as the main picture, four pages on Shenzhen’s fast-paced development, preferential business environment, economic growth driven by technology and professionals, and innovation hub backboned by science and education are presented on the pages supported by photos of the city’s infrastructure, landscape, heavyweight engineering, and the application of technological achievements in the fight against COVID-19.

The head story “Looking forward after 40 years of massive growth” visits the trailblazing steps implemented by Shenzhen SEZ over the past 40 years.

The story cites Fan Gang, the president of the China Development Institute, as saying that Shenzhen “will take on a bigger historical mission” as it continues its role as a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

He holds that Shenzhen should boost the development of private economy, map out incentives for innovations and capital markets, and provide solutions to improve its medical system, infrastructure, urban environment, social management, and so on, to deal with the challenges posed to the city due to its rapid population growth.

The “Stunning Shenzhen” section has a title decorated by tropical flowers and plants and a three-petal Bougainvillea graphic. Each petal represents an aspect of Shenzhen’s prominence, consisting of the landmarks and the trailblazing ox of Shenzhen, the icons of chips and binary numbers indicating Shenzhen’s prominence in science and technology, and a flying roc as an avatar of the city.

Representative statistics such as the number of parks, libraries, books, and designers in Shenzhen, the city’s afforestation rate, and the percentage of Shenzhen local manufacturers have of the domestic jewelry market are shown in smaller Bourgainvillea flowers surrounding the major graphic.

“Environment put first to lift quality of life for local people,” which is the head story of the “Stunning Shenzhen” section, provides a recap on Shenzhen’s endeavors in water and air pollution treatment and environmental protection. The writer cites Dapeng New Area as an example to exemplify the mighty actions Shenzhen has taken to protect local ecology and preserve natural resources.

Besides the head story, the section has another three articles with photos listing Shenzhen’s cultural creative industries, noting Shenzhen’s inclusiveness and cultural diversity, and presenting an exclusive interview with Ole Bouman, a Dutch designer and the director of the Design Society in Shekou, Nanshan District.