Dr Juan Du (University of Hong Kong), Dr Kean Fan Lim (Newcastle University)

Shenzhen city in South China was among the first of Deng Xiaoping’s Special Economic Zones. After 40 years at the forefront of China’s Reform and Opening-Up policies, what does the future hold for Shenzhen? What is Shenzhen’s role as a developmental model today?
The celebrations of this 40-year anniversary lauded Shenzhen’s achievements and staked out new policies. With its proximity to Hong Kong, and reputation as a global tech hub, Shenzhen spearheads the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.
In this online seminar, two prominent guest speakers will present their take on Shenzhen at 40. Juan Du will discuss the role of architecture and urban planning in her presentation “The Critical Experiment of Shenzhen: Demystifying China’s ‘Instant City’”. Kean Fan Lim will speak about economic and social policies in the city-region under the heading “Becoming more ‘special’ than special: Policy experimentation in and through Shenzhen.”