Slowly but surely, the taxi carves its way through the maze of cars, mopeds, and buses in stop-and-go traffic. The taxi driver is at ease in the chaotic traffic. At a red light, he quickly sends a few text messages on his smartphone. His display shows a smiling girl waving at him. Before the light turns green, the driver winks back at his daughter as his e-taxi silently accelerates.
The taxi passes miles of factory buildings and giant warehouses, and it is hard to believe that just 40 years ago the city of Shenzhen was still a sleepy fishing village just outside Hong Kong. Today, the cityscape is dominated by glass skyscrapers that press through a layer of smog in the sky. The buildings bear the names of Chinese technology giants: Huawei, Tencent, ZTE, Dingoo.