<A> Identity Crisis

In between mouthfuls of delicious crispy Peking duck, Larry Yan sings the praises of Shenzhen. "It's wonderful here," the 65-year old gushes. "You can find more culture and tradition here than in Beijing or Shanghai." All of us around the table nod politely, but find the comment odd. Shenzhen, as a Special Economic Zone of Southern China, has a history of less than three decades. That's younger than most of us have been alive. And yet, here is a retiree from Hong Kong, a former Managing Director of a major international bank, who knows more about Chinese culture than all of us combined, telling us that he has sunk roots in this city despite having tried living in other more historic Chinese cities.

Larry is a classicist. He learnt to play the Chinese flute when he was young, and does it quite well. After he retired from the bank a few years ago, he decided to move to China where he could pursue and deepen his knowledge of Chinese classical music. Having stayed in cities like Shanghai and Beijing, it was Shenzhen where he finally found what he was looking for. "In Shanghai, amateur orchestras are not amateurs at all," he complains. "They are paid by the job. Then they disperse until the next job comes along." To me, that sounded a lot like a Western 'pick-up' orchestra; session musicians doing freelance gigs for a fee. In Shenzhen, an amateur orchestra is what it says it is; passionate people who study and play Chinese music for love and not for remuneration.

There are a lot of people like my friend Larry in Shenzhen, 'lifestyle' migrants from many parts of the world, especially Hong Kong. If you walk along a Shenzhen street today, you will meet few who are indigenous to the city. Most have emigrated here within the last decade or so, contributing to the city's plentiful workforce. During my first visit to Shenzhen in January this year, I was surprised at the number of lao wais, or expatriate foreigners, who roamed the streets looking perfectly at home. The average age of the Shenzhen resident is youthful; not older than 30 years. Much of Shenzhen's driving force comes from Hong Kong. Businessmen come here for the cheap labour and attractive business climate, and set up a second home. Companies, hotels, residences and shopping malls have sprung up to cater to these demands. Consequently, Shenzhen looks like a messy outgrowth of Hong Kong. Even her food chains like Cafe de Coral and international outfits like Starbucks are exactly the same as those in Hong Kong.

However, not all migrants are wealthy. Many ethnic Chinese who come here are from much poorer parts of China, particularly small rural farms and villages where one makes US1.00 a day if one is lucky. The promise of quick riches and a better life brings them here, and many find the dream an illusion. Quite a few of the women will find jobs in factories, and men in one of the many construction sites in the city and its outskirts. The tourist industry also employs a lot of these economic migrants, in hotels, shopping centres, bars and lounges, and theme parks. For many outsiders, Shenzhen is a gentle introduction to China. Here, people are international enough without being too brash, and local enough without being too intimidating. On my first trip, by train from Hung Hom station in Hong Kong, I felt totally in my environment. Stories of streets full of snatch thieves and pickpockets seemed exaggerated, and you will be safe as long as you keep your presence of mind and wits about you. Then again, that advice goes for every major city around the world, from New York to Tokyo to Paris.

But if you look closely at Shenzhen as a tourist destination, guidebooks tend to claim that there's little reason to stay here any longer than it takes to organize your next move into or out of the mainland. Others tentatively recommend the professional theme parks that are located here, the most famous of which are the "Window of the World", "Splendid China" and the "Folk Culture Village". The Window of the World is all imitation, from the row of nude, Romanesque statues to the replica of the Eiffel Tower to the life-sized Easter Island rock carving. No wonder Western travel guides are sniffy about Shenzhen. Splendid China is slightly better, containing miniatures of famous Chinese monuments such as the Great Wall or the Forbidden City. This is a tour of China for those who can't afford the time or the money. But the scale models are still imitations. The Folk Culture Village is an introduction to the ethnic minorities of China, with live performances of dances, horseback archery, and traditionally prepared food and games. Again, everything is imitation, from the houses to the bows and arrows used for demonstrations. The shopping here, however, is excellent, as you'll find anything to suit your budget, from the highest-class branded boutiques in Kinglory Plaza to cheap, unbranded goods in Dongmen Lao Jie, to mid-level local so-called brands almost everywhere else. Imitation goods are also available if you wish to buy the brand but not the quality. Food is also good and relatively inexpensive, but there is no such thing as 'Shenzhen cuisine'. What you will find are restaurants serving dishes from Chaozhou, Guangdong, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Hunan, or any other part of China or the West. Expect to spend about USD100 for an excellent Chinese dinner for four persons in one of the more posh restaurant chains such as Dan Gui Xuan (Laurel Restaurant) which has branches located all over Shenzhen. It was in the Luohu branch that we had met Larry, and where he first gave me a glimpse into the real psyche of Shenzhen.

Beginning with that dinner, and over the course of the next few visits, it began to dawn on me that in order to understand the real Shenzhen, one needed to look underneath its swagger and achievements. Prior to being declared as a Special Economic Zone by the Central Chinese government in May 1980, the city was a nondescript little fishing hamlet of no special interest or significance. 20 years of turbo-charged economic development later, this city now has the highest GDP per capita in China. Yet, despite all this glitz, Shenzhenians have a deep sense of rootlessness, an identity crisis if you like. The economic miracle is real, but everything else, from goods, to food, to tourist attractions, is fake. Recognising this, the municipal government is spending money to revive Shenzhen's historical roots. In 2001, the Shenzhen Museum was set up with a relics collection office to record the city's recent history. Their prized possession is a minibus in which the late premier Deng Xiaoping toured Shenzhen in 1984. In order to restore this vehicle, the city's Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital donated a similar minibus from which 80% of the needed parts were salvaged. The city's ancient Dapeng Fortress, built circa 1400 in a village east of the city known as Peng Cheng, is now a State-protected historical site. The government plans to spend up to USD6 million in 2005 to preserve the building. It's a big sum by international standards, and an astronomical amount for the average Chinese citizen.

And as Larry had told us, Shenzhenians are now taking art seriously. Perhaps more than in any other Chinese city, Chinese art and culture is highly respected and pursued for its own reward. All these efforts go toward one end; the search for an identity. In a place where they have imitated everyone else for the longest time, it's time for the city to find the truth within itself. The residents truly believe the search is worth the price, and that they will succeed in the end. For this reason, Shenzhen is worth visiting, because it tries to be real, despite what the world has done to it.

When I asked him about his future plans, Larry Yan replied, "I will stay here until I die. I think I will find what I'm looking for all my life. I am happy."