Question: Did you know that Shenzhen, now a bustling metropolis, was once a small fishing village? Site 1 tells a silent story of this transformation.
Shenzhen’s tale embodies China’s radical changes since 1978. This small village evolved into a manufacturing hub in the 1990s. It produced low-quality goods bearing the label “Made in China”. Now, it’s a fabrication center creating original designs for innovation.
With over 12 million residents, Shenzhen is a heart of small-scale manufacturing. Garments, watches, and furniture are made here. Jewelry and machinery are also produced before being shipped from nearby Hong Kong. This proximity made Shenzhen ideal for equipment manufacturers.
Shenzhen was declared a tax-free Special Economic Zone or SEZ. This lowered costs and increased production flexibility. Many foreign companies relocated here. The local government increased investment turnover. It embedded foreign investment within domestic and state-owned firms. The Shenzhen Stock Exchange was established in 1990. This made the area attractive. More original design manufacturers started arriving from Taiwan.
The local market became saturated with low-cost manufacturing. This led to a shift toward sophisticated products. The ability to design and build expanded within the region. Skills and knowledge were relocated. Shenzhen firms began competing on quality. Huge firms led a shift towards creativity in software and electronics. These include Tencent, Huawei, and ZTE. Small and medium businesses followed with access to foreign and public investment. The manufacturing jungle of the 1990s developed into a specialized supply chain. It delivers quality goods. Shenzhen became a major metropolis in Southern Asia.
A strong culture of entrepreneurship built up the city. From 300000 residents in the 1980s to over 11 million today Chinese people came to Shenzhen. They jumped into the sea seeking better opportunities. Shenzhen embodies the “Chinese Dream”. The city is young. You can barely see any elders in the streets. Everybody works hard. Some streets are so busy that people run around.
Shenzhen is now hosting a vibrant ecosystem of startups creatives developers and innovators. Cheap manufacturing meets DIY culture. This has led to typical forms of Chinese creativity.
The open-source paradigm is fostering a renewed making culture. This paradigm meets Shenzhen’s experience in workshop sharing. This facilitates quick prototyping. It allows reverse-engineering of “shanzhai” manufacturers. The shanzhai industry has implemented an efficient system of knowledge exchange. It allows new product versions in a blink of an eye.
Low-cost manufacturing know-how is valuable for the open-hardware movement. Manufacturing resources help turn community support into a competitive advantage. A prototype can promise delivery as soon as it gathers basic funding often through crowdfunding platforms.
Kickstarter is often the first step towards production. Some teams in hackerspaces specialize in video promotion. Companies like Seeed Studio support emerging models. With its motto “Innovate with China” Eric Pan’s team handles everything. They manage industrial design production packaging and shipping.
The product cycle from idea to sales is now cut down to 1-3 months. This suggests a whole new range and scale emerging in Shenzhen. Site 1 stands as a testament to Shenzhen’s journey. It is a beacon of its entrepreneurial spirit. It’s a symbol of its transformation from a village to a global hub.