Writer and director Hu Yeqiu (center back in white shirt) poses for a photo with participants of Sunday’s lecture at 24 Hours Book Bar in Shenzhen Book City CBD Store in Futian District. Lin Lin
A total of 16 expats from a number of countries, including the U.K., Pakistan, Cambodia, South Korea, Spain, Uzbekistan and Mozambique, attended a lecture about the history of Shenzhen on Sunday at 24 Hours Book Bar in Shenzhen Book City CBD Store in Futian District.
The lecture was given by local writer and director Hu Yeqiu, who is also the author of “The Biography of Shenzhen,” a book about the city.
Hu explained in his lecture that Shenzhen was more than a fishing village in history. Shenzhen also played important economic, political and military roles in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Shenzhen’s name first appeared in a text written more than 300 years ago when “Shenzhen” was referred to as Shenzhen Xu (Shenzhen market), the biggest and most important market in the Lingnan region. Dongmen in Luohu District is where the market was once located, according to Hu.
“It’s interesting to hear about the history of Shenzhen,” said Paul Keatley from the U.K., “We knew it as a new city with a history of only 40 years. But actually, it has a lot of history that maybe people are not aware of. That’s quite interesting.”
Hu also told stories about Shenzhen’s commitment to cultural development and how Futian CBD was designed into a cultural center with some of the city’s most important cultural venues.
John Wright from Merchiston International School has been in Shenzhen for three years and finds it interesting to know how a particular area in Shenzhen was pictured, designed and constructed.
“One of the reasons that I came to China was that I’m interested in Chinese culture and history,” said Wright. “The way we think of Chinese history, we think of it over many thousands of years. It’s not so common to discuss the last few decades. It’s interesting to know a little bit more about the city I live in today.”
In the final part of his lecture, Hu also shared his understanding and vision about the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Seangvin Aing, a Cambodian student from Shenzhen University, said that she is working on a paper about the GBA and the lecture has helped her gain a deeper insight of the area.
The sharing session is part of a lecture series that runs under the title “The World Reads with Shenzhen,” which invites well-known scholars and experts to share books about Shenzhen with expats. According to the event organizer, the series’ next event is scheduled in late November.