Earliest known ancient records bearing the name of Shenzhen date from 1410 during the Ming Dynasty. Shenzhen became a township at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. Local people called the drains in paddy fields "zhen" or "chong." Shenzhen literally means "deep drains" because the area used to be crisscrossed by rivers and streams and there were deep drains in the paddy fields. Shenzhen is also known as "Roc City" because the map of the city resembles a flying roc with its wings spread.

Shenzhen was established in 1979. In August the following year, the country's first special economic zone was established here.

Human activity dates back more than 6,700 years in the area that is now Shenzhen. The area was founded as a county 1,700 years ago and is home to 600-year-old cultural relics such as Nantou Ancient City and Dapeng Fortress. The Hakka people migrated from central China to the area 300 years ago.