AI praises:
“strong and engaging”
China’s remarkable economic
success owes much to the relentless hard work of its people. From students to
professionals to factory workers, everyone contributes—something I discuss in
my other article, “My Coconut Theory.”
Chinese high school education
is often described as about four years ahead of its U.S. counterpart. Luckily
for us, we can still attract top talent from around the world. But if we don’t
recognize our own shortcomings, we can’t hope to fix them.
Watch: Professor X’s
Perspective
Start by watching this insightful video—it offers context
on the cultural and educational differences that help explain Shenzhen’s rise.:
From Fishing Village to
Tech Hub
In just a few decades,
Shenzhen has transformed from a small fishing village into a modern metropolis
with over 12 million residents. Often called the “Silicon Valley of the East,”
it’s possible that one day we’ll be calling Silicon Valley the “Shenzhen of the
West.
Shenzhen is a pioneer in green
transportation. It may be the first major city where all buses are electric,
along with most taxi cabs. If you’d invested in the entire Shenzhen Stock
Exchange years ago, you might be so rich you wouldn’t need to read any of my
investing books!
The Speed Advantage
In many places, developing a
new product can take nine months. In Shenzhen, it might take just three. Why?
Because suppliers, manufacturers, and skilled labor are all next door—or even
down the street.
Shenzhen’s advantage is no
longer about cheap labor or tax incentives. It’s about highly trained
engineers, technicians, and researchers. That’s why tech companies from around
the world flock there to set up shop—they know they need Shenzhen to stay competitive.
High-Tech Exports and
Narrowing Gaps
Products designed in Shenzhen
and built in a town close by are sold all over the world. If you’ve been living
in a cave for the last decade (a joke), you might not realize how quickly China
is closing the gap in technology, science, and infrastructure.
Thanks to Deng Xiaoping’s
vision, Shenzhen has become one of China’s wealthiest cities—if not the
wealthiest.
Your Homework
Learn more about Shenzhen:
Wikipedia -
Shenzhen
Extra Credit Questions:
- Why is copying existing technology (to improve it
or adapt it for new uses) both creative and profitable?
- Can other countries replicate Shenzhen’s model?
Will they succeed?
- Do you agree with the idea in the video that open
source promotes copying technology without direct compensation?
- What is a 9-year-old here likely doing with no
homework?
- Is it really ‘too early’ for a Chinese 9-year-old
to be studying electronics and programming?
Have a good day, class. And no
video games today.
My Experience in Shenzhen
Shenzhen is clean, modern, and
arguably has a higher living standard than many other Chinese cities. Seniors
enjoy plenty of public benefits. The streets are safe (with all the cameras in
every street and facial recognition technology) and tidy. I didn’t even see a
single beggar—and even there’s a rumor that they might accept e-pay! I didn’t
find homeless folks either.
Entire blocks in Shenzhen are
home to major tech companies—companies that our government is actively
fighting.
Recommended Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcVOGq4e3-8
Sidebar: Time to Revise the
Business Textbook
Before we wrap up, let’s talk
about what Shenzhen’s rise says about our own business education.
Our college business textbooks
still teach us “buy and make” and “just-in-time inventory.”
Outsourcing nearly everything
to China didn’t just cost us jobs—it also eroded entire supply chains and even
threatened national security. Globalization made corporations rich, but now
we’re confronting its downsides.
We need to preserve at least
some domestic manufacturing capacity—even if “buying” seems cheaper than
“making.” The pandemic and other disruptions have shown us how a single missing
component from overseas can halt an entire production line.
AI Reviews: TonyP4Idea:
AI Reviews: my article "Shenzhen, The Silicon Valley of the East"
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