From workshop to showstopper, Shenzhen surges on

The first time I visited Shenzhen was in 1993, when I spent a summer traveling around Guangdong province working as a "QC" (quality controller) for a Hong Kong export company.

Much to the amusement of my friends, who perhaps doubted my ability for either quality or control, I was quick to jump at the chance to travel around southern China checking shoe and garment shipments bound for foreign ports.

While giving up a soft office job for a life on the road (it turned out to be one of the most punishing posts I've ever had) didn't seem like the best idea to many of my peers, the ensuing months delivered an amazing experience, and one that offered a genuine insight into China during a period of breakneck development.