Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Celebrates 20th AnniversaryIn the early morning of August 26, the people of Shenzhen woke up to a festive atmosphere as the city began to celebrate the 20th anniversary of China's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ).At the middle section of Shennan Street, residents of Shenzhen gathered in front of a large painting of Deng Xiaoping to express their gratitude. Fresh flowers were placed on stairs under Deng's painting by teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people, followed by pictures being taken and saluting to Deng, the chief architect of China's reforms and opening up. At the Xianhu Botanical Garden in Shenzhen, many citizens gathered to take group photos at trees planted by Deng Xiaoping during his inspection tour of the city in 1992. Standing in front of the trees, a woman named Wu led her family to show their respect to Deng. She said, "The people of Shenzhen are grateful to Deng Xiaoping." Shenzhen's all major newspapers today had a special anniversary edition with more than 100 pages recording the city's great changes and achievements in the past 20 years. In the city's book plaza, a new book titled "Breakthrough + Implication of China's Special Economic Zones" was officially launched. Dong Bin and Gao Xiaodong, authors of the book, said, " Blazing a trail represents the efforts of Shenzhen and other special economic zones in the exploration of China's reforms and opening up." To many people from other places in China, Shenzhen is a city to establish themselves, especially young people. Statistics show that 29 is the average age for Shenzhen residents. A man named Cai from the city of Meizhou in Guangdong Province said, "I like Shenzhen, it is young and full of vitality and charm. " Cai came to Shenzhen alone six years ago. He is now married and owns his own house and car. At the Luohu Commercial Center near Luohu Checkpoint, Hong Kong residents are busily shopping. Shenzhen is increasingly becoming one of ideal shopping centers for people from Hong Kong and overseas. On Saturday, leading Shenzhen officials showed up on special TV program to convey their congratulations on the city's 20th anniversary, voicing ambitious plans for realizing modernization by 2005. A survey shows that more than 90 percent of citizens are confident in Shenzhen's modernization goal. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |