Editor’s Note: On Aug. 18, 2019, China unveiled a plan for implementing reforms in Shenzhen to transform the city into a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics. To celebrate this endeavor, we are presenting a series of stories that highlight the city’s progress in achieving this ambitious goal. Windy Shao windysjf@hotmail.com THE term “new quality productive forces” refers to advanced productivity that transcends traditional economic growth models. This form of productivity — marked by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality — embodies China’s new development paradigm in the contemporary era. In Shenzhen, these new forces are not just concepts frequently discussed in the media. Instead, they are real products that significantly influence people’s daily lives. Zach Mills, an American high-tech gadget enthusiast, finds Shenzhen Zero Zero Infinity Technology’s Hover Camera X1 incredibly useful while traveling or biking. The Hover X1 is a foldable, pocket-sized drone that autonomously follows its owner, opening up myriad everyday applications. Users can select one of several flight modes before launching the drone from their hand. The Hover X1 makes capturing a selfie or group photo extremely simple. Users can also capture stunning scenery or personal moments during hikes or bike rides, making self-filming easier than ever. “It’s pretty cool if you like your tech to travel light,” Mills remarked. Low-altitude economy Shenzhen’s low-altitude economy is increasingly becoming a part of daily life and holds the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for residents. In Bao’an District, residents who wish to enjoy special delicacies from restaurants dozens of kilometers away can now have dishes like Guangming Roast Pigeon delivered within 20 minutes by a drone. This convenient delivery option is just one example of how innovation in low-altitude logistics, represented by delivery drones from Meituan and Fengyi Technology, is enhancing everyday life. According to a research report released by the China Center for Information Industry Development earlier this year, Shenzhen leads the country with 4,739 enterprises in the low-altitude economy. Shenzhen included “the low-altitude economy” in its government work report for the first time in 2023, aiming to establish a low-altitude economy center. In December 2023, the city unveiled 20 initiatives to attract and nurture businesses in the low-altitude economy chain. In January 2024, Shenzhen introduced the country’s first legislation dedicated to the low-altitude economy. Shenzhen’s low-altitude economy generated an annual output exceeding 90 billion yuan (US$12.56 billion) in 2023. The city introduced 77 new drone flight routes and 73 takeoff and landing sites in 2023, establishing itself as a leader in flight capacity. With innovative services from companies like Meituan and Fengyi Technology becoming more common in everyday life, residents are enjoying enhanced convenience and service quality. The increasing use of drone delivery services resulted in 610,000 cargo drone flights in 2023 alone. Shenzhen, a drone industry hub that is home to more than 1,730 drone companies, is often referred to as the “Drone Capital.” Intelligent driving In certain areas of Qianhai, residents are enjoying the convenience of intelligent driving services through the Ruqi Mobility app. By inputting their pick-up and drop-off locations, they can request a robotaxi that is intelligently assigned based on criteria such as waiting time and distance optimization. Shenzhen has been a pioneer in advancing the intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) industry. In 2022, the city enacted the nation’s first regulations governing ICVs, which are vehicles with autonomous driving systems. Among the approximately 13,000 autonomous driving-related companies in China, Shenzhen stands out with over 1,400, according to data from Tianyancha, a leading business information platform. As of May this year, Shenzhen had opened a total of 944 kilometers of roads for autonomous vehicle testing and approved 1,037 road tests and demonstration applications for 349 ICVs from 19 enterprises. NEV industry During a recent international auto show in Shenzhen, a visitor from Hong Kong told Shenzhen Daily that after visiting many major mainland cities like Beijing and Shanghai, he found Shenzhen to be the most convenient city for charging new energy vehicle (NEVs). Shenzhen had 970,000 NEVs on its streets by the end of 2023. It had constructed 362 supercharging stations for NEVs as of April 30, exceeding the number of gas stations. Shenzhen is the world’s first megacity to electrify its entire public transportation system. The city began transitioning its taxi fleet from gas to pure electric vehicles in 2010 and achieved a fully electric fleet by 2018. Public buses were electrified in 2017, followed by ride-hailing and sanitation vehicles in 2020. In 2023, 1.73 million NEVs were produced in Shenzhen, a 98% year-on-year increase. Shenzhen is committed to ambitious goals, including manufacturing over 2 million NEVs annually by 2025 and establishing a network of 600,000 charging piles, further enhancing the daily lives of its residents with cutting-edge technological advancements. | 