In 2007, Shenzhen became the first city in China to have a per-capital income exceeding 10,000 dollars. During the 1980s Shenzhen was transformed by the Chinese government from a small fishing village in the southern part of Guangdong into a Special Economic Zone. Several million immigrants flooded into the young city, and their motto was, “Time is money, and efficiency is everything.”
You can hear countless stories of business success in Shenzhen: someone who was only earning a couple hundred Yuan a month in a part-time job ten years ago is now a millionaire entrepreneur with products that can be found all over the world. They are famous for “Shenzhen Speed” (shēn zhèn sù dù), they built the Shenzhen International Trade Center at a rate of a rate one floor every three days. The people of Shenzhen have discovered that wealth is a double-edged sword. The city marches forward at a breakneck pace, and not everyone can keep up.
Working more than ten hours a day is normal in Shenzhen. People like to read, especially if the books can help them improve their professional skills. They’re all financial experts, unwilling to pass up any money-making opportunities.