-- Southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, a landmark in the country's reform and opening-up drive, on Wednesday marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the special economic zone.

-- Over the past four decades, Shenzhen has transformed from a small fishing village into a modern metropolis with a permanent population of over 13 million. It is still in the vanguard of China's development as a reform and opening-up paragon.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 13, 2020 shows a view of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

SHENZHEN, Aug. 26  -- Southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, a landmark in the country's reform and opening-up drive, on Wednesday marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the special economic zone.

Over the past four decades, Shenzhen has transformed from a small fishing village into a modern metropolis with a permanent population of over 13 million. It is still in the vanguard of China's development as a reform and opening-up paragon.

THE SHENZHEN SPEED

On Aug. 26, 1980, the 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the fifth National People's Congress, the national legislature, approved the establishment of special economic zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province.

Ever since then, Shenzhen has created a miracle in development. This can be seen in the figures.

From 1979 to 2019, Shenzhen's gross domestic output (GDP) rose at an annual growth rate of 21.6 percent to 2.69 trillion yuan (about 388.89 billion U.S. dollars), its per capita GDP also skyrocketed from 606 yuan to 203,489 yuan.