Established as “factory of the world” just decades ago, parts of Shenzhen are already being torn down again. Fordism – i.e. combining mass assembly line production, welfare state and standardized consumer goods – has entered into a new phase. Industries are being moved to the interior of the country, while badly needed living space is constructed in its place. As in the Ruhr area in Germany, “creative industries” as well as educational institutions are meant to lead Shenzhen into a new, post-Fordist phase.

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