Carol Quinn

AT Shenzhen's 2010 Party congress, a directive was issued to set a strategic goal of developing Shenzhen into a global city. I moved to Shenzhen five years ago to set up and run a technology company with my Norwegian husband. It has been extremely interesting in the years since that move to observe

Shenzhen's often rapid changes as the city works toward its ambitious globalization goal.

Futian District, Shenzhen's CBD, has not only developed into the city's administrative, business and commercial center, but also become a strong cultural, information and international exhibition center. By promoting high-level industries, focusing on the modern service sector and upgrading the industry value chain, Futian is prepping itself to become a desirable location for company headquarter operations.

The high concentration of capital in Futian and access to talented human resources also will become important vantage points in the district's pursuit of excellence.

Shenzhen has made it a top priority to keep an innovative mind and vision for the city's internationalization efforts. Communication is of particular interest to me, because of my academic background in languages and linguistics and my professional career in international marketing communication for multinational companies. Shenzhen's Foreign Affairs Office has instigated a number of campaigns, including the Speak Shenzhen campaign, to try and raise the level of English competence among the general population.

The same campaign has taken charge of making all of the city's traffic and public service signs bilingual. The city's huge improvement in that regard, compared to just a few years ago, is evident when driving in Futian and some other parts of the city. Organizers of the bilingual campaign have sought help from native Chinese speakers and foreign experts to try to ensure a high-quality end result, with continual follow-up campaigns to identify anomalies and eradicate "Chinglish" as the city endeavors to communicate with the rest of the world on a level worthy of a leading global city.

Although Shenzhen's efforts to become a global city should be applauded, there are still hurdles to be overcome, especially for small foreign businesses that operate here. Although more and more public information is becoming available in English online, many public offices still do not have staff with sufficient English competence to handle queries in English. Yet Futian has taken a small, yet significant step in helping expatriates and foreign-invested businesses navigate the labyrinth of city rules and regulations by establishing a liaison office for expats at the Donghai Community.

My family and I also have enjoyed and benefited from the vast array of facilities and services that are attractive for families with young children. Futian's desire to create a creative cultural district is enabling nearly all residents to live within 10 minutes of some kind of cultural facility, such as a museum, library, concert hall, art gallery and so on.

Next week, well-known experts from home and abroad will meet at the Shenzhen Internationalization Symposium in Futian, where they will give suggestions and insights to an audience of government officials, enterprises and higher-education representatives on how to make Shenzhen a more international city. I hope their insights will help Futian and the rest of Shenzhen forge ahead in the ongoing internationalization drive.

Carol Quinn was born in Hong Kong and lived nearly 30 years in Europe before returning to China in 2008 to set up a business. With a formal education in languages and linguistics and more than 20 years of professional experience in marketing communications for multinational companies, she has assisted the Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office with their Speak Shenzhen campaign and other language-related projects.