Lin Min linmin67@hotmail.com I WAS deeply impressed by the efficiency and “smartness” of government service last week when I had my driver’s license renewed. After undergoing a simple physical examination and taking a photo at a self-service booth where the photo was directly uploaded to the traffic police, I applied for renewal via the iShenzhen app. Two days later, a text message from the traffic police told me that the new driver’s license was ready. The next day, a courier delivered the new license to my doorstep. I still remember that many years ago when I renewed my driver’s license, I had to line up for at least half an hour in the crowded traffic police service hall. After about 10 days, I had to go to the service hall again to pick up the new license. And again, a long line awaited me. With the use of the iShenzhen app, I received my new license this time without paying visits to the traffic police, saving a lot of time and energy. iShenzhen is the epitome of Shenzhen’s efforts to make it easier to access government services and do business in the city. Since its launch in January 2019, more than 6,100 items of government services can be handled via the app. It was reported that over 95 percent of application and service items for individuals and more than 70 percent of those for companies can be done on the app. As China’s Silicon Valley, Shenzhen has been using its technological might to put together many smart city applications that make life easier for residents and businesses. In addition to the app, government services are available via websites, WeChat accounts and mini-programs. Smart medical services now allow patients to register online to see a doctor for a set time slot, and pay for their medical bills using their smartphones without having to queue repeatedly as before, for paying consultation fees, test fees and cost of medicines. Commuters are now able to scan the QR codes using their smartphones to enter and exit Metro stations without having to buy a ticket with cash. More and more parking lots are using a smart system that automatically recognizes the license plate number of a vehicle when it enters and collects parking fee automatically when it leaves. Traveling through Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport now has become more convenient, with fewer delays and a better experience due to whole-process self-service based on smart technology. Passengers can use apps like a WeChat mini-program to check in online. The smart security channels are equipped with self-service verification gates, facial recognition systems and automatic luggage transport devices. With the help of smart city applications, starting a business becomes much easier. A man in Longgang District was able to get his electronic business license for his new eatery in 52 minutes on March 20 this year after applying for it online, local newspapers reported. It used to take seven to eight days to apply for a food business license. Smart city technology has also played an important role in helping the city fight the coronavirus. The app-generated health code, contact tracing apps and other technologies have made tracing and isolating suspected virus carriers much easier and more efficient. Shenzhen’s government information resources sharing platform now connects with 81 government departments and all districts. Each day the platform sees more than 20 million pieces of data exchanged. Shenzhen was ranked No. 1 in online government services in 2019 and 2020, according to reports by the State Council General Office. Shenzhen has also won international acclaim for smart city achievements. It is one of the 10 cities around the world that bagged the Smart Cities Award — in recognition of its achievements in the construction of intelligent transportation networks — at the online UNESCO Netexplo Forum 2020 last week. Even so, smart Shenzhen is just getting started. Being home to a large number of smart city tech giants, including Huawei and Ping An Technology, along with the city government’s fervent embrace of technology, means Shenzhen is constantly pursuing digital transformation of not just government services, but also of its economy. At Huawei Connect 2020 in Shanghai last week, Shenzhen and Huawei announced to jointly establish Shenzhen Intelligent Twins, which aims to build an integrated deep learning system for citywide coordination, enabling a smart city that is “perceptive, conscious, evolvable and familiar.” Huawei said the new project will turbocharge the intelligent transformation of Shenzhen to new levels. We will see an intelligent city that is beyond our imagination, not only in our daily lives, but also in the way staff members at companies and government departments do their jobs and provide services. Surely there is still much to do in Shenzhen’s road to an “international benchmark city,” such as making iShenzhen and other applications bilingual or even multilingual so as to enable expatriates to use these convenient services. As more and more smart city technologies delve into our daily lives, and increasing numbers of cameras and face-recognition devices are being deployed across the city, the municipal legislature and law enforcement authorities should also ramp up protection of personal information and privacy. (The author is a deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Daily.) | 