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.

The first explosion before further construction in the Shekou area of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, July 1979. The blast marked the beginning of China’s reform and opening-up era. He Huangyou via Shenzhen Art Museum

A view from a street in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, 1980. Leroy W. Demery Jr. via Flickr

A busy road in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, 1993. A poster of Deng Xiaoping is visible in the background. John van Hasselt/Sygma/People Visual

A statue of Deng Xiaoping at Lotus Mountain in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, June 2020. People Visual

People ride bikes on a street in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, 1980. Leroy W. Demery Jr. via Flickr

Young people walk in a commercial district of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, July 24, 2020. Su Dan/CNS/People Visual

A view of the under-construction Shekou Industrial Zone in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, 1981. He Huangyou via Shenzhen Art Museum

A view of Shekou Industrial Zone in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, June 18, 2020. People Visual

Editor: David Paulk.

(Header image: A man talks on a cellphone in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, 1993. Tom Stoddart/Getty Images/People Visual)