An exhibition about the late leader Deng Xiaoping, chief architect of China's reforms, is being held at the Shenzhen Museum. Deng raised the issue of political restructuring in an important speech on August 18, 1980.

Price of success

However, the rapid economic growth means more social problems and experts question whether the Shenzhen experience could be applied to other cities.

Han Jun, a member of a government-financed think tank, the Development Research Center of the State Council, said at a recent seminar in Shenzhen that the hukou (household registration system) issue still leads to inequality among people who live side by side.

"There are as many as 8.86 million residents in Shenzhen, but only 2.4 million of them have the local hukou, less than one-third of the total," Han said.

"Many people came to Shenzhen when they were young, contributed their youth and wisdom to this city, but they were not accepted by the hukou system as a real resident of Shenzhen," Han said.

Hou Wei, a migrant worker who has lived in Shenzhen for seven years, told the Global Times that since he doesn't have hukou, his son was rejected by most of the local publicly financed kindergartens.

"I can't understand why the hukou keeps my child out of the gates of the publicly financed kindergartens," Hou said.

Hou makes 2,000 yuan ($294) a month at a toy factory.

"I have to work day and night, and my salary is too low," Hou said. "It's not fair that many rich men don't work and they earn much more than I do."

During a research visit to Shenzhen on Friday and Saturday, Premier Wen Jiabao called for political restructuring. He warned that the nation's economic achievements face risk from corruption if political restructuring is not implemented.

"Without political reform, China may lose what it has already achieved through economic restructuring and the targets of its modernization drive might not be reached," Wen said, adding he wants to guarantee democratic rights and other legitimate rights.