Luohu district is one of the six oldest areas of Shenzhen, and covers a total of 78.4 square kilometers of land, including 33.7 square kilometers of urban area and 44.6 square kilometers of ecological reserve. A population of 1.58 million lives and works within its 10 sub-boroughs and 83 communities, pushing the population density to 20,256 persons per square kilometers.

The Laojie subway station in the thriving commercial block of Dongmen sees more than 1.2 million visitors per day during peak season. The Luohu Checkpoint, one of three immigration checkpoints within the district, sees the largest annual visitor flows among all land passenger checkpoints in the country.

History

Luohu was established in March 1979, when it became one of the six districts of the newly established city of Shenzhen, transformed from the previous Bao'an county.

The following year, it became part of the special economic zone of Shenzhen, one of the earliest SEZs in China.

Geography and climate

The district is located in central and southern Shenzhen, and overlooks the New Territories in Hong Kong over the Shenzhen River to the south. The diverse topography ranges from hills and terraces, to plains, rivers and lakes. The highest point of Shenzhen city, the 943-meter-high Wutong Mountain sits in the eastern part of the district.

The region’s subtropical monsoon climate is characterized by warm and humid weather, ample sunshine, rainfall, and typhoons that typically make landfall in the summer and autumn seasons.

Culture

Important cultural institutions in the district include the Luohu District Library, Luohu District Cultural Center, and Luohu Art Museum.

Luohu District Library houses about 1.6 million books, 24 databases, and more than 1,000 newspapers and periodicals ordered on a yearly basis. Founded in 1981, the Luohu Cultural Center has since created more than 100 cultural works, winning over 30 national prizes. Luohu Art Museum, built in 2007, has hosted more than 100 exhibitions, receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors.

A total of 86 art groups are active in Luohu, covering modern theater, magic shows, acrobatics, puppetry, quyi(Chinese folk art forms), and Peking Opera. The Xinkuan (辛宽) Magic and Acrobatics Troupe has earned a series of national and international prizes since its establishment in 2004, including the Wenhua Prize issued by the former Ministry of Culture.

Luohu also hosts the Shenzhen International Watercolor Biennial, in collaboration with China Artists Association, which features the works of many renowned international artists. The exhibition is one of the most prestigious of its kind in the world, and continues to promote Luohu's status as a global leader in culture and art.

Economy

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2010-2015), the local GDP rose from 103.6 billion yuan to 172.8 billion yuan, showing an average annual growth of 8.4 percent. Total retail sales of consumer goods grew from 60.3 billion yuan to 103.4 billion yuan, showing an average annual growth of 11.1 percent. Investment in fixed assets showed an average annual growth of 11.5 percent, reaching 46.4 billion yuan. Per capita disposable income increased from 33,600 yuan to 47,200 yuan, with an average annual growth of 8.3 percent.

In 2017, local GDP reached 216.12 billion yuan, ranking tenth in all districts and counties of Guangdong province.

Third industry accounts for nearly 97 percent of the total GDP of Luohu. Finance is the largest industry sector, taking up 35.4 percent of the total GDP. Commerce comes next with a 19.3 percent share in the total GDP. The business services sector has maintained two-digit growths in seven straight years, mounting to a 5.9 percent share of the total GDP. The gold and jewelry sector’s leading status in the country is demonstrated by the construction of the China Jewelry Index and the nation’s only demonstration zone for the building of famous brands in the gold and jewelry industry. One emerging sectors enjoying fast growth in the district is the e-commerce sector, which saw trading volume increase by 50 percent to reach 350 billion yuan in 2017.