A bird's-eye view of downtown Shenzhen in this photo taken in August.

AN official meeting and a grand fireworks display will be held today to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, according to a government release.

The Metropolitan Channel of Shenzhen TV will live broadcasts the meeting from 9:52 a.m.

The fireworks display is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at the southern square of the Citizens' Center in Futian District.

More than 100,000 fireworks will be set off, some of which would reach a height of 250 meters, according to the urban management bureau, which is in charge of preparations.

All fireworks were supplied by a fireworks factory in Liuyang in Hunan Province, which is known as the home of fireworks in China.

The factory had supplied fireworks for more than 400 grand events at home and abroad including the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 Shanghai Expo and the APEC Summit in Shanghai, the bureau said.

Tonight's special-effects will be environmentally friendly, leaving no odor or residue, according to the supplier.

A computer program will ignite the fireworks instead of technicians.

Police will cordon off a 200-meter area to isolate the firing zone as a safety precaution.

Police, firemen and medical staff would be on standby as well as more than 200 buses if a need for evacuations arises, the bureau said.

In addition to the southern square of the Citizens' Center, the government had recommended to spectators the area to the north of the center, parts of Lianhua Hill Park and Central Park, the two sides of the Shennan Thoroughfare near the ignition zone, Zhongxin Road 4 and 5, and the northern square of the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center.

Residents in central Futian can watch the show from their communities or offices.

Hot, overcast weather had been forecast for today.

 Landmark events mark 30 years of development

THE 100 most significant events in the 30 years since the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone were unveiled Friday.

The selection process began after 200 candidates were announced Aug. 3. About 1.8 million people voted over three weeks via newspapers, the Internet and mobile phones.

The result was based on votes cast by members of the judging panel (40 percent) and the public ballot (60 percent).

The 100 landmark events cover various fields including economic construction, political restructuring, as well as cultural and social undertakings. Of the total, 54 were rated as "national first, pioneering and original."

The following are the 100 events:

1. Aug. 26, 1980: The Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was established.

2. 1980: Shenzhen was the first city on the Chinese mainland to set up a labor contract system.

3. 1981: Tenders were called for the construction of the Shenzhen Commercial Building, the first time this had been done on the mainland.

4. 1981: The first property management company, Shenzhen Property Management Co., was established on the mainland.

5. 1982: A billboard with the catchphrase "Time is money, efficiency is life" was erected in the Shekou Industrial Zone in Nanshan District. The motto was acclaimed as the "most famous and influential slogan in China."

6. 1982: Shenzhen became the first mainland city to relax price controls and cancel the coupon system, which had been used for food, home appliances and products on the mainland for more than 40 years.

7. 1982: Shenzhen became the first city on the mainland to implement a structural wage system for companies and government organizations.

8. 1982: The city's biggest newspaper, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, started publication.

9. 1982: The Daya Bay nuclear power plant project was approved by the State Council, becoming the first million-kilowatt commercial nuclear power plant on the mainland.

10. 1983: The first stock in China was issued in Shenzhen and the city's first shareholding company, Bao'an United Co., was established.

11. 1983: 20,000 engineering corps personnel were transferred to work on the construction of Shenzhen.

12. 1983: The Shekou Industrial Zone Management Committee attracted national attention by promoting direct elections.

13. 1983: Shenzhen became the first city on the mainland to implement a labor contract system.

14. 1983: Shenzhen became one of the leading cities on the mainland to explore a social insurance system for contract employees.

15. 1983: A plan for the establishment of Shenzhen University was approved by the State Council.

16. 1983: The first Sino-foreign cooperative telecom operator on the mainland, Shenda Telecom, was established.

17. 1984: The Shenzhen International Trade Building became a Shenzhen landmark with one floor being built every three days. It was touted as a demonstration of "Shenzhen Speed."

18. 1984: Deng Xiaoping visited Shenzhen for the first time. He wrote an inscription for the city after the visit: "The development and experience of Shenzhen proves our decision to found the Special Economic Zone was right."

19. 1984: The sculpture of the Willing Ox was finished and placed. The sculpture is regarded as a symbol of "Shenzhen Spirit."

20. 1984: Shenzhen TV Station was established.

21. 1985: Shenzhen established a technology industrial zone and a technological product exchange center.

22. 1985: Shenzhen established the country's first foreign exchange center.

23. 1985: Preparations for the construction of Overseas Chinese Town began, marking the start of the construction of theme parks on the mainland.

24. 1985: Shenzhen became one of the leading cities on the mainland to implement a temporary residence permit system.

25. 1985: The mainland's first city-level security firm, Shenzhen Security Service Co., was founded.

26. 1986: Shenzhen became the leading city on the mainland to explore the transformation of State-owned enterprises into stock companies.

27. 1987: Shenzhen Investment Management Co. was established, becoming the leading company to explore the management of national assets.

28. 1987: State-owned land was sold at auction for the first time on the mainland and three blocks of land were sold for a total of 23.3 million yuan (US$3.43 million).

29. 1987: Shenzhen encouraged entrepreneurs to set up technological companies and private high-tech companies, such as Huawei, were founded.

30. 1987: Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Securities Co. was established, becoming the first stock company on the mainland.

31. 1987: The mainland's first independently managed joint-stock commercial bank, China Merchants Bank, was founded.

32. 1987: Shenzhen Development Bank was established, becoming the mainland's first shareholding commercial bank to issue stock to the public.

33. 1987: The mainland's first bonded area, Shatoujiao Bonded Zone, was founded.

34. 1988: A reform of the city's housing system was announced and the concept of the "house as a product" began taking root.

35. 1988: SEG Electronics Market was founded and Huaqiangbei, where the market is located, went on to become "the first street of the Chinese electronics industry."

36. 1988: The mainland's first joint-stock insurance company, Shenzhen Ping An Insurance Co., was established.

37. 1988: The mainland's first economic crime informant center was set up at the Shenzhen Procuratorate.

38. 1988: The mainland's first real estate agency, International Real Estate Service Agency Co., was established.

39. 1988: Policies on promoting the high-tech industry were announced and the city became one of the leading cities on the mainland to encourage the development of the high-tech sector.

40. 1989: The mainland's first volunteer association, Shenzhen Volunteer Association, was established.

41. 1989: Shenzhen's first wave of immigration began, with millions of migrant workers flocking to Shenzhen from northern China.

42. 1989: Shenzhen Buji Farm Produce Wholesale Market was opened to explore the reform of the country's farm produce distribution system.

43. 1990: One of the two stock exchanges on the mainland, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, was established.

44. 1991: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport opened.

45. 1991: The mainland's first futures exchange, Shenzhen Nonferrous Exchange, was set up.

46. 1991: The mainland's first proprietors' committee was established at Shenzhen Tianjing Garden residential complex.

47. 1992: Deng Xiaoping made a historic tour of Shenzhen, making a keynote speech in which he answered key questions including those concerning the relationship between socialism and the market economy.

48. 1992: The National People's Congress empowered the Shenzhen legislative authority.

49. 1992: Shenzhen became the leading city on the mainland to announce standards for a minimum wage.

50. 1992: Regulations governing social insurance were announced.

51. 1993: Shenzhen held an auction of manuscripts, introducing the auction system to the cultural industry.

52. 1993: The former Bao'an County became Bao'an and Longgang districts.

53. 1993: Shenzhen Property Exchange, the mainland's first, was founded.

54. 1993: The mainland's first intangible property evaluation office was set up in Shenzhen.

55. 1993: The first regulation for civil servants was announced in Shenzhen.

56. 1994: Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Shenzhen.

57. 1994: The mainland's first national bonded market for capital goods was opened in Shenzhen.

58. 1995: The mainland's first regulation for blood donations and blood management was announced in Shenzhen.

59. 1996: The mainland's first joint-stock railway company, Guangshen Railway Co. Ltd., was established in Shenzhen.

60. 1996: Construction of Diwang Mansion was completed. It was the tallest building in Asia at the time.

61. 1997: The labor market was opened in Shenzhen.

62. 1997: Shenzhen basically finished the transition from a planned economy to a market economy.

63. 1998: A regulation for an examination and approval system was first announced in Shenzhen.

64. 1999: The first China (Shenzhen) Hi-tech Fair opened in Shenzhen.

65. 1999: Tencent Inc. released its instant massaging tool, QQ.

66. 1999: Dapeng in Longgang District reformed the election of the head of the township government by introducing a three-round election system.

67. 2000: The 1st Shenzhen Reading Month was held in Shenzhen.

68. 2000: The Deng Xiaoping statue was unveiled on the top of Lianhua Hill.

69. 2000: Shenzhen University Town became the country's only university town for postgraduate schools of top universities approved by the Ministry of Education.

70. 2003: President Hu Jintao visited Shenzhen.

71. 2003: Huanggang Checkpoint started 24-hour border clearances.

72. 2003: Project Care was launched to encourage city residents to help the underprivileged and needy.

73. 2003: The cultural industry became one of the core industries in Shenzhen.

74. 2003: The mainland's first regulation for human organ transplant was announced in Shenzhen.

75. 2004: Urbanization of villages in Bao'an and Longgang districts started.

76. 2004: Shenzhen's Metro system opened, marking the start of the rail construction in the city.

77. 2004: The 1st China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair was held in Shenzhen.

78. 2004: Shenzhen Stock Exchange launched an SME board.

79. 2004: Shenzhen Dafen Oil Painting Village was named by the Ministry of Culture as a "cultural industry model base."

80. 2005: Shenzhen became one of the country's first civil cities.

81. 2005: The mainland's first regulation for basic ecological control was announced in Shenzhen.

82. 2006: The mainland's first regulation to protect innovation was announced in Shenzhen.

83. 2006: The new Shenzhen Library with the biggest investment in the country was opened.

84. 2006: Shenzhen became the country's first city to pilot an e-government system.

85. 2007: Shenzhen became a leading city in opening city-owned cultural venues for free.

86. 2007: Shenzhen won the right to stage the 2011 Summer Universiade.

87. 2007: Preparations started for the construction of the South University of Science and Technology.

88. 2007: President Hu Jintao cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Shenzhen Bay Bridge.

89. 2007: Shenzhen and Hong Kong governments signed an agreement for a Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation Circle to promote the two regions' global competitiveness.

90. 2007: A regulation on children's medical insurance was announced in Shenzhen.

91. 2007: Shenzhen Port became the fourth-largest port in the world with annual container throughput surpassing 20 million TEUs.

92. 2008: Shenzhen was tasked to transform itself into a national economic center, an innovative city and a modern metropolis.

93. 2008: Shenzhen was named a UNESCO City of Design.

94. 2008: Shenzhen became the leading city on the mainland to announce a law-based government.

95. 2009: Shenzhen was approved by the State Council to pilot comprehensive reform covering government administration, all-round economic reform and social services.

96. 2009: Shenzhen Stock Exchange launched a GEM board.

97. 2010: The Central Government approved the expansion of the SEZ to encompass the entire city.

98. 2010: Shenzhen became the first city on the mainland to pay subsidies for the purchase of new-energy cars.

99. 2010: Shenzhen appointed eight government officials who were elected to senior government posts through open competition.

100. 2010: The Central Government approved building Qianhai into a model area for a modern service industry between Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Source:Shenzhen Daily