A metropolis built on rolling stones

Liu Botong from Northeast China still does not feel Shenzhen is his home, even after staying in the city for three years.[China Daily]

Liu Botong became a genuine citizen of Shenzhen just three days ahead of the city's 30th anniversary - but despite what his new identity card says, he still does not feel like it is his home.

"The city has one of the most multiple-strata societies but offers no sense of belonging," said the 28-year-old as he stood in front of a billboard praising the changes that have occurred in the city over the last three decades, making it one of Guangdong province's most important industrial centers.

"I did feel happy to be part of its birthday celebrations, though," he added.

Liu, like many migrant workers from the country's inland who are taking advantage of the opportunities in China's first special economic zone (SEZ), knows he is only there to work, not to live.

"I can build my future here," said the graduate, who hails from Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province.

After arriving in Shenzhen to sit the civil service entrance exam in 2007, the executive assistant of a jewelry company said he was struck by the city's modern atmosphere.

"The first lesson I learned was to shorten my speech," he recalled. "One telephone call should be ended within three sentences - the speed needed in an SEZ. No one has time to listen to the redundant sentences."

Liu failed the civil service exam (as he did again the next year) and instead decided to join the ranks of the migrant workers. In just three years, he has moved nine times across various districts. Different generations have different opinions about the changes that have occurred in the city and Liu believes it is getting harder to succeed than in the early stages of the SEZ.

He explained that his cousin arrived in Shenzhen 10 years ago and now owns four properties.

"The city has matured over the 30-year development process and, as a newcomer, I can enjoy the work of my predecessors who built the city," he said. "But many of those predecessors have already left for other cities.

"Every two or three years, a crowd of young people leave and another comes," he added. "I need to find my role every day. That is what this city has taught me."