The motto of Shenzhen
时间就是金钱，效率就是生命
Time is Money, Efficiency is Life
The motto was coined as Shenzhen became a defining manifesto for China’s early reform and opening-up era, symbolizing the fast-paced, market-driven work ethic of “Shenzhen speed”.
According to the EyeSchenzhen website…
If a contest was held to name the most famous street in Shenzhen, Huaqiangbei, dubbed “China’s No. 1 electronics street,” could easily run off with the title.
So, it made perfect sense to head there first, as we looked, today, to focus on Shenzhen’s reputation for modernity and for being forward-looking.
Where to begin? A variation on Siri…
It would spook the life out of me!
This little firkin started singing to us… we moved on…
On that note… all manner and size of karaoke gadgets, on tap…
Many rather bizarre drinks receptacles…
We stopped off and sat down for a surprisingly vigorous back massage…
Smaller masseuse available too…
Pirouetting fairy in a telephone booth, anyone?
This set up was so spectacular that you couldn’t actually photograph it because the shutter speed on my iPhone camera couldn’t cope. Essentially, holograms that did… Actually, I don’t know what they did, or if, indeed, they have any purpose whatsoever…
A little (a lot, actually) bamboozled by hall after hall, booth after booth, of electronic gadgets – both useful and, seemingly pointless – we moved on to something a little more traditional but no less extraordinary… Shenzhen Book City (深圳书城), a group of large book shopping malls, affiliated to the Shenzhen Publishing and Distribution Group, a wholly state-owned cultural company with independent accounting.
Millions of books and scores of places to sit, read, drink, and eat..
The ultimate… heaven on Earth… right here >
Honestly, a bibliophile’s dreamland…
People of all ages just sat reading…
Across the way, Shenzhen Library…
The main library occupies a 49,589-square-metre (533,770 sq ft) building on a 29,612-square-metre (318,740 sq ft) plot.
Linked to Shenzhen Concert Hall…
The Concert Hall features:
Symphony Hall: a 1,680-seat canyon-terraced natural acoustic hall featuring Shenzhen’s only pipe organ (built by Rieger of Austria).
Theatre Studio: a multi-functional suspended hall with an adjustable capacity of 400 to 580 seats.
The whole area serviced by wide, sweeping boulevards…
And dominating the site, the sweeping Shenzhen Civic Centre…
We have one of those back home. Ok, a little more dated but it’s quite grand…
Shenzhen Civic Centre covers roughly 200,000 square meters, stands about 85 meters high, and has a roof span of 486 meters. It houses government offices, the People’s Congress, a conference center, exhibition halls, and the Shenzhen Museum in its east wing.
The building features a sweeping curved roof shaped like a giant Dapeng bird (大鹏鸟) with its wings spread. The Dapeng originates in the Daoist classic Zhuangzi (‘Free and Easy Wandering’), where it starts as a gigantic fish named Kun (鲲) residing in the Northern Ocean before transforming into a bird (Peng / Dapeng) with wings like clouds hanging from the sky.
Wow, Central Shenzhen! It could not be more far removed from a futuristic, swanky, modern-is-best, bling vibe. You really would be sorely mistaken to think anything of the sort. It clearly attaches great importance to thoughtful and creative town planning, and it places cultural life and the celebration of that at its very heart and soul. Viva Shenzhen!
A rising phoenix, just like the Boro!
More on that topic (Boro) ⚽️ tomorrow.
End note:
In the City of Books stationery depot. Just what we all need…
Remember these… 🤢
The models do rotate btw
Previous China daily blogs here
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