Shenzhen’s Scripted ‘Miracle’: Selling a 45-Year Economic Saga

SHENZHEN, China – December 09, 2025

A glossy, star-studded miniseries titled Miracle has premiered, timed to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Shenzhen’s founding. A joint production between the state-run China Media Group and the Shenzhen Municipal Publicity Department, the series aims to chronicle the city’s meteoric rise. As director Shen Yan noted at the launch, “No word better describes this city than ‘miracle’.”

On the surface, the 24-episode series is a celebration. It dramatizes the city's transformation from a sleepy fishing outpost with a GDP of just 270 million yuan in 1980 into a global metropolis boasting a 3.68 trillion yuan economy in 2024—a staggering 18.8% average annual growth rate. But beyond the cinematic tribute lies a more complex story. The series is not just entertainment; it is a meticulously crafted piece of economic statecraft, designed to codify the narrative of Shenzhen’s success and project it as a cornerstone of China's national identity.

The Anatomy of an Economic Epic

The statistics underpinning Shenzhen’s story are, by any measure, monumental. In 1980, when designated as China’s first Special Economic Zone (SEZ), it was a town of 30,000. Today, its permanent resident population nears 18 million. This demographic explosion has fueled an economic engine that now ranks among China's most powerful, with an industrial output exceeding 5.4 trillion yuan, the highest in the nation. The city's GDP per capita has soared, with disposable income per capita reaching nearly 81,123 yuan.

This explosive growth, often dubbed “Shenzhen Speed,” was born from the experimental, market-oriented policies of the SEZ. It became the testing ground for China’s “reform and opening up,” attracting a flood of foreign investment and domestic talent with promises of opportunity unheard of elsewhere in the country. The Miracle series pays homage to this history, with episodes like City's Melody depicting the construction of the International Trade Center at a then-unprecedented pace of one floor every three days, and scenes shot at the Shekou Industrial Zone, birthplace of the iconic 1981 slogan, “Time is money, efficiency is life.”

But the narrative being projected is one of seamless transition from a manufacturing hub to an innovation powerhouse. The reality is a relentless, state-guided push. Shenzhen now invests a formidable 6.46% of its GDP into research and development, a figure that rivals innovation-centric nations like Israel and South Korea. This investment fuels the city’s strategic emerging industries—from AI to robotics—which now account for over 41% of its total GDP, a testament to its successful pivot from “made in China” to “designed in China.”

Scripting the Narrative: Culture as Economic Strategy

Miracle is more than a historical drama; it’s a strategic communication tool. The production’s “triple co-creation” model—integrating government, professional creators, and citizens—signals a sophisticated approach to narrative-building. While state-backed productions are common, the explicit inclusion of “real-life incidents” from thousands of citizens is a deliberate move to lend authenticity and emotional resonance to an official story.

Literary supervisor Liang Zhenhua explained that the series’ vignettes “answer why Shenzhen succeeded and how its people created miracles.” The character archetypes are carefully chosen symbols of the city’s economic pillars. An AI engineer played by star actor Lei Jiayin represents the city's tech-fueled future, which generates 1.56 trillion yuan annually. An enterprising delivery rider, portrayed by Yan Ni, embodies the vibrant service economy and the millions of migrants who form the city's lifeblood. Even an episode about a cadre aiding Tibet, starring Hu Ge, is designed to reflect Shenzhen's role in national development and regional collaboration.

By weaving these “micro-narratives” into a grand tale of progress, the series serves a dual purpose. Domestically, it reinforces a sense of national pride and validates the government's long-term economic strategy. Internationally, it functions as a powerful instrument of soft power, presenting a compelling, humanized story of Chinese development that counters more critical external narratives. It’s a carefully curated answer to the world, showcasing a model of state-led capitalism that delivers prosperity and cutting-edge innovation.

The Human Ledger of Hyper-Growth

While the series celebrates individual triumphs, the full story of Shenzhen’s population boom is one of immense pressure and social transformation. The influx of millions of hopeful migrants created a dynamic, fiercely competitive environment. This relentless drive built the city, but it also placed an enormous strain on public infrastructure. For years, Shenzhen has lagged behind other tier-one cities in per-capita public services like hospital beds and school placements, a critical challenge that lies just beneath the surface of the gleaming skyline.

The series touches on contemporary issues, with an episode titled Red Mangrove Years exploring ecological conservation. This narrative aligns with official goals but simplifies a complex reality. While Shenzhen has made strides, it continues to grapple with the environmental costs of industrialization and urbanization, including periods of moderate to unhealthy air quality from industrial and vehicle emissions.

These untold stories—of the immense personal sacrifices, the social inequalities, and the environmental trade-offs—are the necessary counterpoint to the official 'miracle.' They don't negate the city's astonishing achievements but provide a more complete picture of the human ledger behind four and a half decades of relentless, breakneck development. The triumph of the entrepreneur is real, but so is the struggle of the factory worker and the family seeking a place in an overburdened school system.

From Factory Floor to the AI Frontier

Today's Shenzhen is defined by its pivot to deep tech. The Huaqiangbei Electronics Market, once a sprawling bazaar of components, is now a symbol of an ecosystem that has matured into a global innovation hub. The city is home to tech titans like Huawei, Tencent, and DJI, but its strength lies in what analysts call the “six 90% phenomenon”: 90% of R&D personnel, funding, and patents originate from enterprises, not state institutions. This industry-led innovation model is a key differentiator.

As depicted in the series' AI Era chapter, Shenzhen is aggressively pursuing leadership in next-generation technologies. The city produces nearly a quarter of China's industrial robots and has rolled out ambitious subsidy plans to dominate the AI landscape. This focus isn’t just about economic growth; it’s about securing a strategic advantage in the technologies that will define the 21st-century economy.

The Miracle series, therefore, is as much about the future as it is about the past. It frames Shenzhen’s 45-year journey not as a completed project, but as the foundation for its next chapter as a “pilot demonstration area for socialism with Chinese characteristics.” As the credits roll, the underlying message is clear: the spirit of the original entrepreneurs who built the city from nothing lives on in the coders and roboticists working late into the night, scripting the next phase of Shenzhen's unyielding story.