Shenzhen

Shenzhen is arguably the most remarkable city in the world. Forty years ago it was a small fishing village of 30,000 people. Today it is a city of 17 million, China's technology capital, and home to companies like Huawei, Tencent, BYD, and DJI. The transformation — driven by Deng Xiaoping's designation of Shenzhen as China's first Special Economic Zone in 1980 — is the fastest urban growth story in human history.

For travellers, Shenzhen is primarily a transit point between Hong Kong and the rest of China, but it deserves more attention. The OCT Loft arts district has transformed old factory buildings into galleries, design studios, and independent restaurants. The Dafen Oil Painting Village produces the majority of the world's reproduction oil paintings — a fascinating cottage industry where thousands of artists paint copies of Western masterpieces side by side. The food scene is excellent and diverse, reflecting the city's population drawn from every province in China.