Shenzhen: An Immigrant City and Globalized Landscape in China's Special Economic Zones, Slides of Culture and Globalization

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Topic 5 & 6

Globalization and China:

Shenzhen

I. The Case of Shenzhen SEZ

Questions:

1. What is the glocalizing process in China?
2. How is the glocalizing process revealed in the building of SEZ?

Theme:

• how SEZs are built as glocalized landscapes in illustrating the process of China entering the global economy

Building Glocalized Landscapes

• The process of glocalization- how the SEZs develop themselves into glocalized landscapes that serve to bring China into the world economy
• Focus on the development of Shenzhen SEZ

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• Shenzhen is an immigrant city, built quickly with a borrowed population.
• In 1979, the Central government and the Guangdong Government decided to upgrade a small town, Bao’an county, to the status of a city named Shenzhen.

Shenzhen before 1979

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• Shenzhen thus was the specific place where global capital and the socialist state encountered each other and worked hand in hand, though not always in harmony, in shaping a new economy.
• Shenzhen is on the east of the Pearl River Delta. In the north it is connected to Dongguan, Weiyuan, in the south to Hong Kong, and in the east it faces Daya Bay.

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• The Shenzhen SEZ is only part of Shenzhen city. It occupies one sixth of the whole city.

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• Before the setting up of the SEZ, Shenzhen was only a small town with 310,000 residents and less than 30, workers.

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• The total population of the whole Shenzhen now was over 7.08 million and the total population of SEZ is 1. million.
• In its population composition, less than 20% are categorized as permanent residents who have come from major cities and become state officials, entrepreneurs, technicians and skilled workers.

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• When they lose their jobs in Shenzhen, they are not officially permitted to stay in Shenzhen.
• It is clear that the expansion of Shenzhen and its Special Economic Zone is based on the mobility of migrants as temporary residents.

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• In Shenzhen all workers and staff members are categorized into three kinds:

1. Guding zhigong(固定職工), regular workers and staff members,
2. Hetong zhigong(合同職工), contract workers and staff members,
3. Linshi zhigong(臨時職工), temporary workers and staff members.

K ey concept to rem em ber!

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• Linshi zhigong, temporary workers are the most disadvantaged in Shenzhen; not until 1988 were they officially given temporary contracts on a yearly basis.
• In the second half of the 1980s, the number of temporary workers increased rapidly and surpassed the total number of regular workers and contract workers.

K ey concept to rem em ber!

Shenzhen as an im m igrant city

• Most manual labour in the SEZ is undertaken by these temporary residents from rural areas. In Shenzhen, as soon as one becomes a legal temporary worker, one is then entitled to be a temporary resident.
• A rural laborer can get a temporary hukou(戶口) in Shenzhen only if he/she is hired as a temporary worker.

The Transform ation of Local Com m unity

• The former name Blue River People’s Commune was changed to Blue River Manufacturers’ Chief Company, under which it owned or joint-ventured over thirteen companies.
• The old government offices building remained, but it was expanded to include a new wing of four storeys connected to the old one.

The Transform ation of Local Com m unity

• The “bureaucratic” structure of the Chief Company was changed and expanded as well.
• Now there was a General Office, an External Trade Department, a Finance Department, an Administrative Department, a Population and Birth Control Department, a Labour Regulation Department, and a Mass Organization Division which included a Youth Committee, a Women’s Federation and Trade Union.