Shenzen – Where capitalism meets Chinese socialism

By Michael Doherty

Michael Doherty is a film and television editor based in Toronto. He is also an avid traveller. The photos and commentary are from his visit last November.

Shenzhen, in southern China, is a massive, bustling, manufacturing centre. It was set up in the early ‘80s as a special economic zone. Although based on market capitalism, it still operates, for better or worse, within the ideals of Chinese socialism.

In 1977, 43,000 people were living in Shenzhen; today there are over more than 13 million. It has more skyscrapers over 200 metres than any other city in the world. Its subway system, first opened in 2004, has over 400 kilometres of track and by 2030 it will have 1,142 kilometres of track. By contrast, Toronto first opened its subway in 1954 and has a total of 76.9 kilometres of track.

Like many cities in China, it is a testament to the long-term vision of the country’s leaders and to the success of large-scale infrastructure spending. However, it is also China: there are facial recognition cameras everywhere and all messaging done on WeChat, the preferred social media program, is monitored. Access to Google, Facebook, other Western social media platforms and news sources is blocked.

Shenzhen is very hot and humid in the summer, but is sunny and dry in November, making it the best time to visit an intriguing place.