Learning from Shenzhen

This multidisciplinary volume, the first of its kind, presents an account of China’s contemporary transformation via one of its most important yet overlooked cities: Shenzhen, located just north of Hong Kong. In recent decades, Shenzhen has transformed from an experimental site for economic reform into a dominant city at the crossroads of the global economy. The first of China’s special economic zones, Shenzhen is today a UNESCO City of Design and the hub of China’s emerging technology industries. Bringing China studies into dialogue with urban studies, the contributors explore how the post-Mao Chinese appropriation of capitalist logic led to a dramatic remodeling of the Chinese city and collective life in China today. These essays show how urban villages and informal institutions enabled social transformation through cases of public health, labor, architecture, gender, politics, education, and more. Offering scholars and general readers alike an unprecedented look at one of the world’s most dynamic metropolises, this collective history uses the urban case study to explore critical problems and possibilities relevant for modern-day China and beyond. 马立安 人类学学者，从1995年开始在深圳从事文化人类学研究，20多年来一直关注着深圳的建筑、城市规划及人文变迁，尤其是城中村的组织形态和文化底蕴，对深圳的城中村历史变迁颇有见解。在福田城中村居民的眼里，她不仅是“中国通”，更是“福田通”。如今，她对深圳主要城中村的历史文化研究已经获得了业内甚至本地居民的认可。她的研究活动包括在深圳白石洲创办“握手302”艺术空间”，并同深圳飞鸟剧场进行合作，旨在深圳不同社区以艺术的方式探索文化地理的可能性；她的博客“深圳笔记”对改革开放后深圳的城市化发展进行了深入的探讨。她的研究成果发表于《戏剧评论》《东亚文化批评》和《文化研究》香港特刊等。旁观者与亲历者的双重角色为马立安带来了更多体验与思考，她以自己独特的视角观察、解析这座城市的成长轨迹。 黄韵然 加利福尼亚大学伯克利分校修辞学和艺术史助理教授。她从事现当代艺术...