From its humble beginnings as a small fishing village just over 30 years ago, Shenzhen has grown to become China's own Silicon Valley.

Chen Biao, deputy mayor of Shenzhen, says the city's rise to prominence stems from innovation in its manufacturing industry, which over the past decade has become more and more high-tech.

"Innovation is as important as reform and opening up," Chen said. "The combination of the two can lead Shenzhen to a stable and sustainable development."

Chen Biao, deputy mayor of Shenzhen, speaks about the future of Shenzhen's manufacturing industry. [Photo by Huang Lulu/Xinhua]

In 2016, Shenzhen government invested over 80 billion yuan ($11.71 billion) in R&D, 4.1 percent of the city’s GDP.

Two Shenzhen-based companies that have benefited from that investment are SuperD, a company specializing in producing hardware which uses augmented reality (AR), and Han's Laser, a world-leading laser machine manufacturer. They are joined by global intelligent manufacturing heavyweights Huawei and Dajiang.

A reporter uses one of SuperD’s augmented reality products. [Photo by Huang Lulu/Xinhua]

Thanks to the government's proactive support and promotion of high-tech industry, Shenzhen achieved 185.39 billion yuan of added value in emerging enterprises in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 12.8 percent.

"The government is providing preferential policies to attract more talents on technology," Chen said. "This plays a vital role in promoting our high-tech industrial development."

A reporter experiences high-tech AR products from SuperD – a Shenzhen-based high-tech company. [Photo by Huang Lulu/Xinhua]