The Shenzhen Experiment: The Story of China’s Instant City

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Juan Du (2007). One City, Two Systems. In Stan Fung and Ye Zhu (Ed.), Urban New Spectacle, Contemporary Architecture Invitation Exhibition Catalogue (pp. 70-71). N.p.: n.p. even more awe of Shenzhen" as it documents not only "the expected stream of statistical superlatives" but also the "aspirations and energies of the individuals who built Shenzhen is the author's major and subtly subversive success here." [14]

Juan Du. Intervention into Hong Kong’s Urban Informality, Special Issue on Modernology Research in China, Urban Flux Journal, 51 (2016): 60-65. In August of 2019, the country’s State Council released a statement announcing that Shenzhen was to be developed into a “pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics”, with the aim of it becoming a “global benchmark city”. The timing of the announcement was unsurprising — the government attention lavished on Shenzhen is in direct response to the civil unrest in Hong Kong. Is it true that Shenzhen has no meaningful history? That the city was planned on a tabula rasa? Where the rural past has had no significant impact on the urban present? This book unravels the myth of Shenzhen, showing how the success of this modern “miracle” depended as much on its indigenous farmers and migrant workers as on central policy makers. Drawing on a range of cultural, social, political and economic perspectives, the book uncovers a surprising history—filled with ancient forts, oyster fields, urban villages, a secret informal housing system—and personal narratives of individual contributors to the city. The Shenzhen Experiment is an important story for all rapidly urbanizing and industrializing nations around the world seeking to replicate China’s economic success in the twenty-first century.Yung Ho Chang, Shaoxiong Cheng, & Juan Du (2007). ‘Urban Tools,’&‘Micro-Urbanism.’ In Hanru Hou et al. (Eds.), Beyond: An Extraordinary Space of Experimentation for Modernization, The Second Guangzhou Triennial (Exhibition Catalogue) (pp. 86-88). Guangzhou: Ling-Nan Arts Publishing House.

She does, however, not give enough credit to Deng Xiaoping. Sure, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone is the product of its people and its historical and cultural context. But without Deng, it could well have been stopped. Juan Du’s new book The Shenzhen Experiment: The Story of China’s Instant City, is welcome, then, in providing some historical context on this city’s development. And context is sorely needed; much coverage of Shenzhen’s development repeats the same lazy, CCP-derived tropes of a “fishing village turned megalopolis” or a technological city of the future. The author notes in her introduction: Her works have been featured by wide-ranging media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Nature, Architectural Record, ICON, Domus, and Journal of Architectural Education. Her latest book The Shenzhen Experiment – The Story of China’s Instant City published by Harvard University Press, is recipient of the 2020 Book of the Year Award for Interdisciplinary Research by ASU’s Institute for Humanities Research. The Shenzhen Experiment: The Story of China’s Instant City’ by Juan Du.” Books, Arts & Culture, Asian Review of Books, January 8, 2020 ( https://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/the-shenzhen-experiment-the-story-of-chinas-instant-city-by-juan-du/).

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Juan Du (2007). Informal Urbanism. Paper presented at t he 2nd International Holcim Forum for Sustainable Construction — ‘Urban_Trans_formation,’ Tongji University, Shanghai, China, April 18-21.

The Shenzhen SEZ was the first initiative of China's Reform and Opening Up Policy under Deng Xiaoping from 1979 to 1989. Deng's humble objective was not for China to be rich and powerful but to not be poor. At the time, China suffered deep and widespread poverty. Deng's goal: introduce SEZs and market reforms (open markets) in an attempt to experiment with possible economic reforms in an effort to alleviate poverty and improve quality of life. As a result of his self-proclaimed "critical experiment," Deng lifted millions out of poverty and ultimately transformed and catapulted China onto the world stage. Despite popular opinion, however, he and the Chinese Central Government didn't do it alone.Campbell, Joel (2021). "The Shenzhen experiment: the story of China's instant city". International Affairs. 97 (2): 589–590. doi: 10.1093/ia/iiab026. Juan Du (2014). 10 Million Units: Housing and Affordable City. In Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture organizing committee (Ed.), Architecture creates cities. Cities create architecture: 2011 Shenzhen & Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (pp. 256-269). Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press. Ho called it "Engagingly written and artfully crafted", [8] and the book "shines" in portions where Du uses her knowledge of architecture. [16] Ho stated that she wished that the book examined other scholarly works on the subject. [8]

Brook, Daniel (2020-08-04). "Review of 'The Shenzhen Experiment: The Story of China's Instant City' ". Architectural Record . Retrieved 2022-07-29. Gary W. McDonogh of Bryn Mawr College wrote that compared to Learning from Shenzhen, The Shenzhen Experiment was not "provocative" but more "complete". [17] Juan Du (2016). Urban Villages and the Special Economic Zone – How Formal Planning and Informal Development Generated the Exceptional Urbanism of Shenzhen. In Dai Chun (Ed.) Shenzhen Contemporary Architecture 2000-2015 (pp. 400-405). Shanghai: Tongji University Press.Juan Du, ‘From Design with Nature to Design with Carbon? – A Brief History of the Low Carbon City (LCC),’ Urban Environment Design, 101 (2016): 228-235. A rich history of China’s famous ‘instant city,’ which may not be so instant after all. Juan Du takes us on an informative and unexpected journey through a major metropolis.”—Yung Ho Chang, Principal of Atelier FCJZ, Beijing Explores the blurry history of the city, beginning with its farmers and oyster fishermen… An important story for architects and planners everywhere facing the excitement as well as perils of rapid urbanization and industrialization.”— The Architect’s Newspaper