A City You Will Hear More About

In Shenzhen, China...

A month or so ago, Alan and I had no idea where Shenzhen was, much less how to pronounce it correctly (Shenjen), and with the exception of some savvy business types, I€'™d wager that most Americans would be hard-pressed to place it on a map. That probably won'€™t be the case for long.

Shenzhen is next door to Hong Kong on mainland China, and is one of the most dynamic cities in Asia. Thirty years ago it was a tiny fishing village. Today, 12 million people live here in miles and miles of skyscrapers. Entrepreneurs from China and across the world are setting up new factories and businesses, including highly advanced biomedical research and treatment facilities. That's one reason we're here --€“ to follow a patient from America who is getting treatments using stem cells, something that isn'€™t done in the United States.

Outside my hotel window is a vast area of dirt and fill, about half the size of peninsular Charleston. As I type this now, hundreds of trucks are working their way through pile-drivers, working on what essentially is another city. A layer of smog from all this activity blocks the view to Hong Kong and a new bridge similar in style to the new Cooper River bridge. They do things in a big way here. Two nights ago, Alan and I had dinner in China largest restaurant. Seating capacity: 6,000. Even the menus were large, about three-feet tall. We paged through them, trying to decide whether to order the bullfrog or the pigeon. I eventually settled on spicy shrimp on a stick, and was surprised to learn that you're supposed to eat the shell, which gave it a certain crunch.