The Origin of the Name "Huaqiangbei"

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.

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