Figure 1: Song Shiqiang, General Manager of Kinghelm and Slkor, inspecting Huaqiangbei The selection of the "Eight Scenes of Huaqiangbei" was jointly initiated by the Futian District Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau and the Huaqiangbei Sub-district Office. It was determined through public surveys and multiple rounds of expert review, and officially announced and promoted on August 18, 2021. List of the Eight Scenes of Huaqiangbei:Electronic Sky Street, Shanghai Hotel, Tencent Starting Point, Huaqiang Historical Mirror, Saige Panorama, One-Meter Counter, China Aviation Nightscape, and Maker Ark. Electronic Sky Street– Huaqiangbei Pedestrian Street, known as "China's No. 1 Electronic Street"; Shanghai Hotel– the original coordinate point of Shenzhen, carrying memories of hard struggle; Tencent Starting Point– the cradle of a major company, symbolizing the entrepreneurial spirit of Huaqiangbei; Huaqiang Historical Mirror– the Huaqiangbei Museum, behind which lies Shenzhen's and even China's "dream of development," "dream of innovation," and "dream of entrepreneurship"; Saige Panorama– Saige Plaza, the world's tallest steel-concrete composite structure building designed and constructed entirely by China; "One-Meter Counter"– the iconic symbol and epochal microcosm of Huaqiang Electronic World, representing the entrepreneurial spirit and business legend of Huaqiangbei, and has become a symbol of Huaqiangbei and a sign of the "Shenzhen Dream"; China Aviation Nightscape– Zhonghang Street & Tianhong Shopping Mall, representing the fashion, trend, and leisure underneath Huaqiangbei's high-tech exterior; Maker Ark– Zhifang Innovation Center, the birthplace of the new generation of maker spirit. Figure 2: Song Shiqiang, General Manager of Kinghelm and Slkor, touring the "Eight Scenes of Huaqiangbei" The "Eight Scenes of Huaqiangbei" trace the complete development trajectory of Huaqiangbei from an industrial zone → to the No. 1 electronics street → to a tech-fashion-culture block. They serve as cultural carriers of reform and opening-up, entrepreneurship and innovation, and urban transformation and upgrading. This is in full alignment with the "daring, innovative, resilient, and pragmatic" culture of Huaqiangbei, as distilled by Kinghelm (www.kinghelm.com.cn) and Mr. Song Shiqiang of Slkor. Their contemporary significance can be elaborated from five dimensions: history, spirit, industry, city, and culture-tourism: They are living fossils that engrave the reform and opening-up of the special economic zone, preserving the city's collective memory; They carry forward the spiritual core of innovation and entrepreneurship in Huaqiangbei; They mark Huaqiangbei's shift from a "trade market" onto a new track of "technology – culture – fashion"; They shape the cultural IP of Huaqiangbei and enhance Shenzhen's cultural identity as a city; They offer a demonstration model for the rest of the country. Mr. Song Shiqiang notes that the "front-shop-back-factory" model of Huaqiangbei continues to exert its power. Kinghelm will soon open a "Kinghelm" specialty store in Huaqiangbei, with products including Type-C, SMA, IPEX, MCX, HDMI connectors, automotive wiring harnesses, adapter cables, pin headers, terminals, RF cables, Kinghelm (www.kinghelm.net) antennas, GPS antennas, RF coaxial connectors, WiFi antennas, Beidou antennas, and more. In short, the Eight Scenes of Huaqiangbei are not just eight scenic spots, but a three-dimensional, readable history of the block's development: looking back, they preserve the memory of reform and opening-up struggle; grounding the present, they empower the transformation of the business district; looking forward, they pass on the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, making Huaqiangbei a typical model for urban renewal, industrial upgrading, and integrated cultural-commercial-tourism development in Shenzhen and across China. Today's Huaqiangbei turns more great ideas into reality, strives to build a hardware innovation ecosystem, creates an internationally influential innovation and entrepreneurship base, and develops new cultural-tourism consumption scenarios that integrate culture, tourism, and technology—offering a unique dating destination for the younger generation. Note: The data and references in this article are based on authoritative reports and materials. Please contact us if any content infringes copyright or is inaccurate.

Photo taken at the Huaqiangbei Museum The development trajectory of Huaqiangbei can be broadly divided into the following five stages: Phase I: The Industrial Foundation Period (1979–1988). As Shenzhen's earliest developed industrial zone, the Shangbu Industrial Zone hosted a number of large enterprises, including SEG, Huaqiang, and Laiyinda. In March 1988, the SEG Group utilized its existing industrial facilities to establish the SEG Electronic Supporting Market—a move widely regarded as the birthmark of Huaqiangbei. Phase II: Market Prosperity Period (1988–2007). The SEG Electronics Market was gradually expanded to cover the entire building, and the Huaqiang Group promptly followed suit by converting its factory premises into the Huaqiang Electronics Market. In 1994, Wanjia Department Store moved in, effectively revitalizing the surrounding commercial environment; subsequently, the "One-Meter Counter" phenomenon emerged, and the "front-store, back-factory" model took shape. After China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, global demand for electronic components surged significantly. Specialized markets such as the Metropolis Building and New Asia were successively established, and Huaqiangbei's customer base and sales network began to expand internationally. Photo taken at the Huaqiangbei Museum Phase III: The Peak Era of Copycat Mobile Phones (2007–2013). In 2007, the mobile phone production licensing system was abolished, leading to a rapid expansion in the scale of mobile phone manufacturing and shipment at Huaqiangbei. According to relevant statistics, the annual shipment volume had reached approximately 150 million units by around 2006. In 2008, Huaqiangbei was honored with the title of "China's No.1 Electronics Street"; its daily visitor traffic once ranged between 500,000 and 800,000 people, and the area gave rise to numerous billionaires. Phase IV: The Transition Adjustment Period (2013–2020). Between 2013 and 2017, the construction of Metro Line 7 led to the closure of major thoroughfares and constrained transportation conditions; simultaneously, the decentralization of online e-commerce diminished the bustling foot traffic in Huaqiangbei. Coupled with the government's strengthened efforts to protect intellectual property rights and its crackdown on the sale of counterfeit products, this situation resulted in a significant exodus of merchants and the recurrent emergence of vacant storefronts, subjecting the overall commercial ecosystem to substantial adjustment pressures. Phase V: The Era of New Quality Productivity and the Rise of the Maker Movement (2020–Present). In early 2025, Huaqiangbei was designated as the "Leading Street for the Origin of New Quality Productivity." Building upon its well-established smart hardware supply chain hub, government authorities actively promoted the development of a maker ecosystem, with a focus on emerging sectors such as drones, AI glasses, and robotics. The region's annual transaction volume grew from approximately RMB 400 billion in 2024 to around RMB 480 billion in 2025; the average daily number of foreign buyers and visitors exceeded 7,000, reflecting a steadily increasing level of internationalization. Note: The data and information in this article are sourced from authoritative reports and materials. If you identify any instances of copyright infringement or inaccuracies, please contact us.

The Shangbu Industrial Zone was the precursor to the Huaqiangbei business district. In the early 1980s, the Shenzhen Municipal Urban Construction Planning Committee decided to develop an industrial zone centered on the electronics industry and contract manufacturing operations in the area now known as Huaqiangbei, naming it the Shangbu Industrial Zone. At that time, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone had been established only recently; the Shangbu Industrial Zone was considered part of the suburban area and was one of the first industrial zones planned under Shenzhen's "Attracting Domestic Resources and Linking with External Markets" strategy. Large enterprises operating in the machinery, energy, aviation, electronics, and textile industries concentrated their investments or established branch offices here; buildings such as the CGN Building, AVIC Garden, China Electronics, Aihua, Sanga, and Jinghua were successively completed. Among the six major municipal state-owned enterprise groups, the headquarters of five—Sage, Energy, Petrochemicals, Textiles, and Light Industry—were all located here, and over a hundred joint ventures invested in this area, forming a "clustered, segmented" industrial space along the main thoroughfare. Photo taken at the Huaqiangbei Museum Huaqiangbei is the core area of the Shangbu Industrial Zone. In March 1988, the SEG Group established the SEG Electronic Supporting Market on Huaqiangbei North Road; initially, it comprised more than 160 manufacturers and 10 Hong Kong-based businesses operating under their own management and sales systems, marking the embryonic form of the Huaqiangbei electronics market. In 1994, the "Wanjia Department Store" – a subsidiary of the Vanke Group – opened its doors in this area, revitalizing the local commercial scene. Subsequently, various commercial projects—including the Manha Shopping Mall, Women's World, New Dahao Garment City, and Golden Lighting – were successively launched, further enhancing the vibrant commercial atmosphere of Huaqiangbei. With the rise of the electronics manufacturing industry in the Pearl River Delta, the demand for electronic components surged significantly. Driven by leading enterprises such as Huaqiang Electronics Market and SEG Electronics Market, specialized electronics markets—including Xin Asia, Gaoke De (the former site of the Xin Dahao Garment City), and Guoli—emerged successively, while markets for categories such as watches, gifts, 3C digital products, and telecommunications equipment also began to establish themselves in the area. This commercial prosperity led to rising rental costs, prompting factories within the industrial zone to gradually relocate. As a result, the Shangbu Industrial Zone transformed from a traditional factory district into the "Huaqiangbei Business District" and an electronic component trading hub, ultimately evolving into the nationally renowned "China's No.1 Electronics Street." Note: The data and information in this article are sourced from authoritative reports and materials. If there is any infringement or inaccuracies, please contact us.

Image source: Internet "Huaqiang came before the road" is a well-known saying in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei. It refers to the historical origin that "first there was the Huaqiang factory, and then the municipal road was named after Huaqiang." Development sequence: Huaqiang Company (factory established in 1979) → Huaqiang Road (named later) → Huaqiangbei commercial district. Originally, the Huaqiang Electronics Factory was located in the mountainous area of northern Guangdong. In response to the national call to support Shenzhen’s development, it relocated to the Shangbu Industrial Zone in Shenzhen. Later, it formed a joint venture with Japan's Sanyo Electronics to produce "Huaqiang Sanyo" brand televisions. Since Huaqiang Industrial Company was the first enterprise to settle in the area, when the municipal government planned and built roads, it named a main avenue near the company "Huaqiang Road." Only then did Huaqiangbei come into existence, hence the saying "Huaqiang came before the road." Song Shiqiang, General Manager of Kinghelm (www.kinghelm.net) and Slkor (www.slkoric.com), Discusses Huaqiangbei "Huaqiang came before the road" also symbolizes Shenzhen’s early special zone development model—"enterprises first broke ground, then urban infrastructure followed"—and epitomizes the origins of Huaqiangbei. In the narrow sense, Huaqiangbei refers specifically to the main trunk of Huaqiang North Road, running from Shennan Middle Road in the south to Hongli Road in the north, with a length of 930 meters. This is the pedestrian commercial street where tourists now shop and stroll, flanked by major landmarks such as Saige Plaza, Huaqiang Electronic World, Manha Shopping Mall, and Yuanyang Digital City. In the broad sense, "Huaqiangbei commercial district" refers to the entire electronics trading area centered on Huaqiang North Road. It stretches from Yannan Road in the east to Huafu Road in the west, Shennan Middle Road in the south, and Hongli Road in the north, covering an area of 1.45 square kilometers. The core commercial district includes all 35 specialized electronics markets, as well as all commercial buildings in Huaqiangbei such as Zhonghang City, Tianhong, Maoye Women’s World, and also the unified office buildings and World Trade Plaza on the south side of Shennan Middle Road. When people in the electronics wholesale and sourcing trade say "come to Huaqiangbei," they almost always mean the broad Huaqiangbei—it represents a commercial zone, an atmosphere, and the vibrant subtropical urban vibe. It is worth noting that many people confuse the administrative area with the commercial district. However, "administrative district ≠ commercial district" and "Huaqiangbei Subdistrict ≠ Huaqiangbei commercial district." The administrative subdistrict is much larger than the "commercial Huaqiangbei" that people commonly know. Huaqiangbei Subdistrict Office was established in 2009, and its administrative jurisdiction is larger: it runs from Hongling Road in the east to Huafu Road in the west, Shennan Road in the south, and Hongli Road in the north, covering 2.96 square kilometers. This includes the 1.45-square-kilometer commercial district, as well as large residential and governmental areas such as Tongxinling, the Municipal Party Committee compound, and Lychee Park. Note: The data and information in this article are referenced from authoritative reports and materials. If any infringement or errors exist, please contact us for removal.

The name "Huaqiangbei" originates from the Huaqiang Group. In 1979, the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Electronic Industry relocated electronics factories from northern Guangdong to Shenzhen and established the Shenzhen Huaqiang Electronic Industry Company.The two characters "Huaqiang" symbolize"a strong and prosperous China" . When planning and constructing roads, the Shenzhen municipal government named the road near the company Huaqiang Road. Later, as Shennan Boulevard intersected with Huaqiang Road, the road was divided into northern and southern sections: the part south of Shennan Road became Huaqiang South Road, while the area north of the road was abbreviated as "Huaqiangbei". Photo: Huaqiangbei In the early days of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, this area was nothing but remote paddy fields. As enterprises such as the Huaqiang Group and Laiyinda Group successively set up factories here, along with institutions in machinery, energy, aviation, electronics, and textiles, the area became the Shangbu Industrial Zone of Futian District. It was home to electronics companies including Huaqiang Electronics, China Electronics, SEG Electronics, Jinghua Electronics, Aihua Electronics, and SED Philips, laying the foundation for the development of Huaqiangbei's electronic information industry. In 1994, Wanjia Department Store, a subsidiary of Vanke Group, moved from Youyi City in Luohu District to Huaqiangbei. Its business boomed, driving the opening of malls such as Women's World, Shunde Home Appliances, Manha Department Store, Golden Lighting, Wanfang Computer City, and International Audio City. Huaqiangbei gradually transformed from an industrial zone into a commercial center. Subsequently, more than 50 specialized markets opened one after another, including the Pacific Security Market, Gift Market, Watch and Clock Market, Baohua Communications Market, Oriental Fashion Plaza, Tongbao Second-hand Market, and Causeway Bay Department Store on nearby Huabei Road. These developments established Huaqiangbei as a famous commercial district in Shenzhen, rivaling the Dongmen commercial district in Luohu District in influence. The booming business of Huaqiangbei Electronics World and the completion of the SEG Plaza drove growth in integrated circuit sales and brought large crowds to Huaqiangbei. In October 2008, the China Electronics Industry Association awarded Huaqiangbei the title of "China's No. 1 Electronics Street." In July 2009, to better serve and manage the Huaqiangbei commercial district, the Futian District government officially established the Huaqiangbei Subdistrict. Huaqiangbei has since developed into a world-renowned electronics distribution hub, with integrated circuits and 3C digital products sold worldwide. In April 2024, "Huaqiangbei" was selected for Shenzhen's first batch of geographical name protection list, categorized under "reform and opening-up place names," becoming an important witness to Shenzhen's reform and opening-up history. Song Shiqiang, General Manager of Kinghelm and Slkor, believes that Huaqiangbei is a showcase of China's economic achievements from reform and opening-up. Note: The data and materials in this article are referenced from authoritative reports and sources. If there is any infringement or error, please contact us for removal.

Song Shiqiang, General Manager of SIkor and Kinghelm Song Shiqiang is a Huaqiangbei business expert, startup mentor, and lecturer at the China Electronics Institute. He runs two enterprises that have grown up in Huaqiangbei—SIkor Semiconductor (www.slkoric.com) and Kinghelm Electronics (www.kinghelm.net). Combining hands-on experience in the electronic information industry with applied macroeconomic theory, he has systematically sorted out the development logic of Huaqiangbei. His theoretical framework is solid and comprehensive, and the real cases and economic data from his own experience are highly persuasive, while his expression and communication methods are clear and straightforward. I. The Past of Huaqiangbei The period before 1994 represents the past of Huaqiangbei. It was when the government, in the early stage of reform and opening-up, laid out the electronic information industry. The first generation of pioneers in Huaqiangbei worked hard to accumulate initial capital, forging the "Huaqiangbei spirit" of daring to fight, daring to innovate, and daring to take risks. This was also the "right time" that enabled Huaqiangbei’s development! II. The Present of Huaqiangbei Song Shiqiang believes that Huaqiangbei also enjoys "geographical advantage" and "human harmony." Being adjacent to the economically developed Hong Kong, combined with the global industrial transfer and the demographic dividend of the mainland, these factors converged in Huaqiangbei, giving birth to its unique "self-organizing" social structure and the "front-shop, back-factory" business model. Together with the continuous efforts and boldness of migrant populations, and the combination of "try everything not explicitly forbidden" with opportunism, as well as the entrepreneurial spirit of staking one’s fortune on tomorrow, these elements created the brilliance of Huaqiangbei today. This was the budding of Huaqiangbei’s entrepreneurial spirit, which later evolved into the "Huaqiangbei culture"! III. The Future of Huaqiangbei Song Shiqiang believes that Huaqiangbei is a magical place. As long as one thinks diligently, analyzes rationally, follows the course of historical development, and aligns with economic laws, the small and medium-sized enterprises in Huaqiangbei still have opportunities for growth. However, urgent transformation and upgrading are needed. The government-advocated model of "bringing in makers and letting entrepreneurs go global" is gradually taking effect. SIkor (www.slkoric.com) and Kinghelm (www.kinghelm.net), carrying the daring and fighting genes of Huaqiangbei, have already entered the fast track of development. On August 14, 2026, SIkor opened its third branded direct-sale store in Huaqiangbei—a vivid example of a local enterprise continuing to deepen its presence in the business district and steadily grow.