ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter sets the contextual, conceptual, and methodological scene for the book. It explains and defines ‘the Shenzhen phenomenon’ – this book’s central concern – in terms of the city’s instant rise, and the settings and factors that have enabled the speed and scale of its growth. This concept also goes further, exploring the association between the city making of Shenzhen and the nation building of China; that is, how Shenzhen has been expected to spearhead ‘reform and opening-up’, a national strategy that has made Shenzhen and remade China. This conceptualisation underpins an endogenous development perspective towards the Shenzhen phenomenon. Shenzhen’s genesis, first of all, derived from an endogenous drive to open China to the world, to grow its economy, and to enrich its people. This endogenous effort has been undertaken at a historical moment of accelerated globalisation and increased neoliberalism since the late twentieth century. In light of this perspective, this book employs an ‘inside-out’ approach to unpacking the Shenzhen phenomenon. It is largely based on analysis of ‘inside’ data and information, experiences, perceptions, stories, and reflections on the city’s development, which is then intersected with some ‘outside’ observations, for cross-fertilisation.
