Deng Xiaoping

Today’s blog is not about me. Instead, it’s about one impressive beast called Deng Xiaoping. While many foreigners know of Mao and what he did for China, less is known of Deng, one of Mao’s eight successors (also known as the Eight Elders).  While in power from 1978 until 1992, Deng transformed China’s market into the communist/market economy mix that exists in China today.

Let me just interject to say that living in China today is lush. The metros are the quickest and cleanest I’ve ever seen, crime feels near non-existent, and it has one of the best economies to work in with lots of opportunity. All this is a by-product of Deng. He implemented the One Child Policy, opened foreign relations, and adopted Special Economic Zones. All these policies helped decrease China’s poverty rate from 85% in 1981 to 7% by 2012 while simultaneously making China the one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. If that doesn’t make Deng as cool as Gandalf the Great, I’m not sure what will.

To cement the magnificence of Deng, there are statues and attributes to Deng hidden all around Shenzhen. If you climb Lotus Mountain which is easy hike located in the center of Shenzhen, not only will you get beautiful views of Shenzhen’s skyline, but you will also see a statue of Deng Xiaoping. In addition, there’s Hong Fa Temple, a immense park overflowing with temples and beautiful scenery. While there, one can even see a large tree planted by Deng Xiaoping. This is a must do in Shenzhen that requires a full day.

Which rounds us back to Shenzhen. Shenzhen was China’s first Special Economic Zone (SEZ). For those who don’t know, a Special Economic Zone is an area within a country where laws dealing with trade, business labor amongst others are different from the rest of the country. Shenzhen in particular is fairly capitalist-friendly (though it’s no Hong Kong). As a result, Shenzhen has garnered a reputation of being the “Silicon Valley of China”, a “Manufacturing Heartland,” and a center for innovation and creativity in China.

Based on my experience in Shenzhen thus far, I can already validate these statements. For companies (especially start-ups) looking to cheaply manufacture their product, Shenzhen should be your go-to city. The start-up that I’m interning for as part of the CRCC Asia program is one such company. In addition, the low cost and widespread access of raw parts makes it easy and affordable to innovate with different materials. The only real setback is that the instructions are coming in Chinese, making it a bit harder to decipher.

Nonetheless, Shenzhen is a interesting place to work during this period of time, and that’s all because of Deng Xiaoping.

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