On the afternoon of Aug. 16, a special sharing event featuring participants from more than 20 countries was held at the Qianhai International Talent Hub.
As the 15th event in the HiQianhai series, themed “My Shenzhen Story, My Qianhai Story,” it brought together nearly 40 international guests to share personal experiences and reflect on the development and transformation of Shenzhen and Qianhai from diverse perspectives.
Participants of the 15th "HiQianhai" event pose for a group photo Aug. 16.
Qianhai’s impressive 15-year record
The event opened with a short documentary tracing Qianhai’s development since its establishment in 2010, highlighting notable achievements in Shenzhen–Hong Kong cooperation, institutional innovation, and industry clustering. Visuals contrasting early tidal flats with today’s modern skyline vividly illustrated the defining features of “Shenzhen Speed” and the “Qianhai Model.”
Over the past 15 years, Qianhai has followed the strategic positioning of “bridging Hong Kong, empowering the mainland, connecting the world,” making significant advances in institutional reform, Shenzhen–Hong Kong integration, and opening up. Qianhai has become one of China’s fastest-growing, highest-quality and most efficient development zones. In 2024, Qianhai recorded actual utilized foreign investment of 26.65 billion yuan (US$3.7 billion) and fixed-asset investment of 169.1 billion yuan — respectively 117 and 93 times their levels at its founding.
To date, more than 200,000 companies have registered in Qianhai, including 11 unicorns and 2,084 national high-tech enterprises. Qianhai has gradually built a modern industrial system anchored by modern services and supported by strategic emerging industries, characterized by its unique features and by Shenzhen-Hong Kong synergies and competitive advantages.
Expats’ Shenzhen and Qianhai stories
In the sharing segment, voices ranged from long-time residents who have lived in Shenzhen for nearly 30 years to newcomers who arrived only days earlier. Jim Filbird from the U.S. recalled arriving in Shenzhen 19 years ago as an ordinary businessman; today he has become an internet celebrity with about 7 million followers after appearing as General MacArthur in the film "The Battle at Lake Changjin."
Jim Filbird from the United States shares his story with Shenzhen and Qianhai at the sharing session.
Filbird said he was impressed by the efficiency of local authorities, recounting a shoot at Shenzhen Bay where a filming permit was approved in a matter of hours. He also praised Qianhai’s water corridors, parks and business-friendly, livable environment, and said he frequently cycles, explores restaurants and visits Hong Kong friends and partners who work in Qianhai.
“I’m glad I moved to Shenzhen,” he said. “It’s given me a new perspective on the Chinese people—they are very friendly and welcoming to foreigners. In Shenzhen you have many opportunities to do whatever you want.”
Mahmoud Hamdy from Egypt shares his story and experiences of living and working in Shenzhen.
Mahmoud Hamdy from Egypt shared his journey from foreign teacher and amateur singer to entrepreneur and CEO of an AI legal services company based in Qianhai. To express his affection for the area, he even composed an original song titled “Modern Qianhai.”
Hamdy also shared practical information with international attendees about integrating into local communities, business registration and tax procedures for foreign-funded enterprises, and regional support policies.
Diogo Busanello Cerda, a Brazilian who had been in Shenzhen for just a week, summed up his first impressions of the city as “clean and tidy, full of greenery, with convenient subways, and a harmonious mix of historic buildings and skyscrapers.” He said that during a visit to Sea World he was captivated by the giant cruise ship and the variety of international restaurants. He even found and dined at a Brazilian restaurant, an experience that made him feel as if he had never left home.
Participants share a cake celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the 15th anniversary of the Qianhai Cooperation Zone.
From “Shenzhen Speed” to the “Qianhai Model,” and from “foreign land” to “home,” the sharing session provided a microcosm that sketched a vivid picture of harmonious integration between China and the world. As a window and testing ground for reform and opening up, Shenzhen has risen over 45 years from a border town to a global center of technological innovation and commerce. Since its establishment in 2010, Qianhai—positioned as a “special zone within the the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone”—has become a model of Shenzhen–Hong Kong cooperation, institutional innovation, and openness.
Marking the anniversaries of Shenzhen and Qianhai, the event drew on expatriates’ personal experiences to illustrate the pillars of their rise: openness, innovation, and relentless effort.
Looking ahead, Shenzhen and Qianhai will continue to enhance their international business and living environments to attract more global talent to join the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, so that more “Shenzhen stories” and “Qianhai stories” become compelling chapters in the broader “China story.”