When Chinese president Hu Jintao inspected Shenzhen in 2003, he put forward an instruction that Shenzhen should quicken and coordinate its development. In January 2005, Shenzhen decided to take command of the overall situation of economic construction in light of the scientific concept of development, and build "a harmonious Shenzhen with efficiency."

    After 27 years of development, Shenzhen's exploitable land has shrunk while the demands on energy resources have increased as the population and industry have grown. Confronted with such a situation, the city changed its development mode to efficient growth. In order to shore up its position as a new city of independent innovation, Shenzhen has vigorously developed the cultural industry as the fourth pillar of the local economy.

    Sound cultural development has changed Shenzhen from a "cultural desert" to a "cultural oasis." Activities and sites like the culture expo, reading month and the citizens' lecture hall have become the city's cultural brands, while slogans like the "city of libraries" and the "city of piano" have developed the city's cultural taste. Compared to the initial stages of reform and opening-up, the morale and ethos of the Shenzhen people are greatly changed.

    In 2007, Shenzhen's GDP was RMB 676.541 billion and its export value was US $168.493 billion, placing it first among big and medium-sized cities in China for the 15th successive year. Moreover, its per capita GDP was the first among big Chinese cities to surpass US $10,000. In terms of city construction, Shenzhen is China's first example of an "ecological garden city."

Building a City of Innovation

    In June 2008, Shenzhen was approved by the central government as the first and sole experimental unit for the construction of innovative cities. On September 23, Shenzhen convened a meeting to accelerate its construction of an innovative city by developing new and high technology industries and enhancing independent innovation. The move was a celebration of the 28th anniversary of the founding of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. Shenzhen once again stands at a new historic starting point, and has sounded the clarion call for a national campaign of building innovative cities.

    In the past two years, the central authorities and relevant ministries and commissions have placed great hope on Shenzhen for its role in independent innovation. Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said in his report on the 17th CPC National Congress: "The special economic zones should better play their important roles in reform and opening-up and in independent innovation."

    During his inspection tour of Shenzhen three years ago, Premier Wen Jiabao demanded that the city should increase its ability to innovate independently. Shenzhen Special Economic Zone should be built into an important new and high technology industrial base and a national innovative city, featuring a special innovative capability and an especially excellent innovative environment.

    All this has greatly inspired Shenzhen, pointing out the direction of its future development. In April 2006, the municipal government submitted a proposal to the National Development and Reform Commission soliciting its support and cooperation in jointly building Shenzhen into an innovative city.

    In March 2008, Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng went to Beijing to report on the basic conditions of Shenzhen's drive to build a national innovative city and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovative Circle to the National Development and Reform Commission. On June 12, 2008, the commission issued a document approving Shenzhen as an experimental unit for the building of a national innovative city. "The designation of Shenzhen as an experimental unit has given the city a new historic mission and the task of acting as a trailblazer in the new century," said Xu Qin, executive deputy mayor of Shenzhen.

    For a decade, the Shenzhen government has taken significant steps to promote independent innovation and develop new and high technology industries. In 1998 Shenzhen promulgated a 22-article local decree to support the development of new and high technologies. In 2006, Shenzhen issued new guidelines to "practice a new strategy of independent innovation and build a national innovative city." All in all, Shenzhen has promulgated more than 30 relevant policies and measures.

    "To achieve sustainable and rapid economic and social development, the key lies in further expanding development space and increasing the innovative vitality and sustainability of new and high technology industries. Independent innovation will be the only option for Shenzhen to change its development mode," said Liu Zhongpu, director of the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Science, Technology and Information.