Hong Kong and Shenzhen

Abstract

Shenzhen would not exist without Hong Kong right next door. Since 1979, Shenzhen has grown spectacularly from scattered small towns, villages and farmland to a megacity. Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Shenzhen are both megacities, competing for the same status, national functions and investments. They are deeply inter-related by intensive cross-border traffic, investments and joint-development projects. Hong Kong was crucial to Shenzhen's early development in multiple ways. Since the early 2000s, Shenzhen's economy and regional context have transformed once more – from 'workshop of the world' to a twenty-first-century metropolitan economy mainly based on high-tech production, innovation and advanced producer services. Hong Kong–Shenzhen migration is quite complex: many migrants travel back and forth, some keep homes in both places and many cross the border for work, study or family visits. Several projects have started to encourage or facilitate collaboration, though some may not proceed beyond good intentions.