The city of Shenzhen was appointed as a UNESCO City of Design in November 2008. Shenzhen is a major design hub and one of the leading cities in China. The city, once an ordinary border town neighboring Hong Kong, was chosen as China's first special economic zone on August 26th, 1980. The concept of modern Chinese design was gradually created in Shenzhen and has increasingly become a part of the city residents' lives.

on this subject: Creative Cities Network