Chasing Dreams in the Light

In 1992, Xiaoxue left her hometown with a dream in her heart and headed for the South China Sea coast, where Shenzhen was rising at what was then known as “Shenzhen Speed.” Starting out as a woman on the assembly line at an electronics factory in Huaqiangbei, she lived through Shenzhen’s transformation from the first stirrings of a market economy into a city of innovation. She witnessed the contrast between the city and its outskirts around the Shanghai Hotel, and the speed legend of the Guomao Building. Riding the wave of foreign trade after China joined the WTO and seizing opportunities offered by business support policies, she grew from a foreign-trade order coordinator into a fashion entrepreneur. She weathered order crises, overcame the challenges of transformation, and kept pace with Shenzhen’s technological innovation, embracing AI upgrades and ultimately building a clothing brand that blends technology and fashion. Over four decades of trials and hard work, her career journey became deeply intertwined with Shenzhen’s changing landmarks, industrial upgrades, and policy reforms. Her story is an epic of a woman growing alongside her city, showcasing Shenzhen’s spirit of daring to venture and experiment, as well as ordinary people’s power to pursue their dreams.