Villagers of Modernity: A Study of the Urban Village in Shenzhen, China

Drawing upon ethnography and archival research, this long-form journalism depicts life in an urban village (chengzhongcun) in Shenzhen, China. Specifically, this article aims to explore the intricate relationship between the municipal government, the urban policies, and urban villagers. While the urban village in China is a well-discussed topic, the significance of this article rises from its attention to the diverse individual lived experience in an urban village that is unique to Shenzhen, a modern southern Chinese city. By contrasting the seemingly unregulated yet vibrant urban village area to the grand narrative of socialist modernity that Shenzhen is known for, this article asks the question of who the city is for, and how urban villagers can fit in the modernity narrative of Shenzhen.