Shenzhen is fast developing, and recent talks indicated that the special economic zone will continue to expand.The city is also growing in other ways, including through the standard of its industries and various community improvements.
On the education front, the Shenzhen government has earmarked close to 10 billion yuan (HK$11.4 billion) to build a new university.
The South University of Science and Technology is already seeking advice from universities in Hong Kong to help it get up to speed in the shortest possible time.
The Shenzhen government has spent several billion yuan on land resumption, and allocated two billion yuan for construction.
It will also provide long- term financial support in its determination to make the institution a success.
Shenzhen has been at the vanguard of mainland reforms - transforming itself from a sleepy fishing village into a booming metropolis with a population exceeding 10 million.
While it is a magnet for talented people from all over the country, it lacks the infrastructure to train its own human resources, which is considered a long-term weakness. So it made the bold decision to set up a quality university to address this inadequacy.
The institution conducted a worldwide search for a head. At one stage, former Hong Kong University of Science and Technology chief Woo Chia-wei was rumored to be a candidate but, in the end, Zhu Qingshi, former president of the Xi'an University of Science and Technology, was chosen.>The success of a university depends not only on money, its history or quality of teaching staff, but also the source of its students. Hong Kong faces the same problem in developing an education industry.
The main issue is not financial resources or academic standards, but whether there are sufficient numbers of quality students.
When supply exceeds demand, new university places will be created in vain, as in Taiwan, where the standard of tertiary education has slipped for this very reason.
While the new Shenzhen university has to start from scratch in many respects, it enjoys an advantage over Hong Kong in one respect - it is in a better position to recruit students nationwide. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily
