Shenzhen became one of China's first Special Economic Zones in 1980. Over the following decades it grew into a major metropolis, home to offices of technology corporations, financial institutions and research centers. High-rise construction here developed in waves — from the first 300-meter towers of the 1990s to the contemporary clusters of the 2010s and 2020s.
Rather than being concentrated in a single central business district, Shenzhen's skyline extends across several distinct commercial and urban centers. The historic Luohu at the border with Hong Kong, the central Futian with its governmental and financial core, the technology-driven Nanshan in the west, together with the new Qianhai development zone and the Houhai waterfront, each lend the city its own skyline character.
Today, Shenzhen remains one of the principal venues for high-rise architecture in Asia: record-breaking buildings have been completed here, and the local design community works in close collaboration with research institutes in Hong Kong and mainland China.
18.25million Permanent resident population at the end of 2025
1,997km² Total area of the city
18 Metro lines at the end of 2025
