THE Huaqiangbei Subdistrict Office was set up last week, marking the end of divided jurisdiction in the Huaqiangbei area.
Previously, the area was under the joint jurisdiction of the Yuanling and Huafu subdistrict offices.
The establishment of the new subdistrict office is aimed at developing Huaqiangbei into China’s top electronics street as well as a modern model business district with excellent environment and services by strictly following the law, said Li Ping, secretary general of the Futian District Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Bounded by Hongling Road Central and Huaqiang Road North in the east, Huafu Road in the west, Shennan Road Central in the south and Hongli Road in the north, the Huaqiangbei area covers less than 3 square kilometers and has a population of 160,000.
The history of the Huaqiangbei commercial center dates back to the Shangbu Industrial Zone, developed and built in 1982 by several Central Government-administered enterprises, including Shenzhen Electronics Group Co. Ltd. (SEG).
In 1988, SEG launched an electronics market on the first floor of its seven-story SEG Building, marking the gradual transition of Huaqiangbei from industrial to commercial zone.
Huaqiangbei later expanded to include other types of businesses with the opening of a number of department stores such as Vanguard and Sundan department stores. However, the area lost its unique character in recent years with the establishment of several other commercial centers.
In the second half of 2006, the city government demanded that measures be taken to speed up the upgrading and transformation of the Huaqiangbei Electronics Market. With the goal of building the top electronics street in place, Huaqiangbei is set to reinvent itself, the Southern Metropolis Daily said last week.
(Eunice Kang)