Ding Yining

<p>Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in the southern Guangdong province. The sprawling city opposite Hong Kong has become a symbol of China’s reform and opening-up era. To commemorate the occasion, Sixth Tone has selected a series of photos that highlight Shenzhen’s dramatic evolution from 1980 to 2020.</p><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="0" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="1" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="2" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="3" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="4" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="5" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="6" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="7" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="8" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="9" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="10" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="11" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="12" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="13" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="14" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><div style="text-align:center;height:inherit"><div data-index="15" class="illustrationWrap"></div></div><p></p><p><em>Editor: David Paulk.</em></p><p><em>(Header image: A man talks on a cellphone in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, 1993. Tom Stoddart/Getty Images/People Visual)</em></p><p></p>

Collage: Shenzhen at 40

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

Once a humble fishing village cowed by Hong Kong’s splendor, Shenzhen has grown into a booming megacity at an astounding pace.