"Currently, many governments still act in the role of a 'giver' when providing services to enterprises," said Feng Xiangyang, director of Shenzhen Futian Enterprise Development Service Center.

 

"Futian district government, however, positions itself differently. It sees itself as a servant, offering useful and efficient services according to market demand."

 

Futian government aims to create a kind of business culture that is in line with the development objective of enterprises in an effort to cultivate recognition of cultural identity and trust among them, Feng said.

 

Such a favorable business culture helps retain good enterprises and attract promising ones from the beginning, he noted.

 

Located at the center of Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong province, Futian district is the headquarters of a number of well-known companies, including three Fortune Global 500 firms -- Pingan Group, China Merchants Bank and Amer International Group.

 

As of October 2015, the number of registered enterprises and individual businesses in the district reached 310,000.

 

Gross domestic product of the district amounted to 325.6 billion yuan last year, growing 9 percent year-on-year.

 

Despite higher office rent and labor costs, many companies still see Futian as an ideal place to start and develop their business.

 

"Here, we are able to get access to the most high-end industry resources easily, thanks to its location. The natural and business environment is also excellent," said Zhang Wenying, management representative of Shenzhen Keadna Electronic Technology Corp Ltd, which specializes in the production of rail transit equipment.

 

"More importantly, the district government is providing real sound services to us. We don't need to spend time and energy thinking about how to deal with government officials, as all the services are transparent and fair. All we need to do is develop our company business."

 

Zhang's view is echoed by Hu Yanping, secretary of the board of DIB Enterprise Risk Management Technology Co Ltd.

 

"Futian government not only supports our development in terms of policies, but also provides many 'soft' services, like organizing meetings to increase enterprises' knowledge of government policies and offering subsidized housing to help us retain and attract talents," she said.

 

"In Futian, people from all over the world are welcome. They are respectful and tolerant of each other and pursue their dreams together. It is a place where success can be accommodated and failure can be tolerated," Feng added.