When we met Sayaka Nakano, she was participating in a cooking event organized by the Shenzhen Women’s International Club (SWIC) at a reading club in Shekou. The gathering brought together more than 20 women, and Nakano explained to us that this was one of the club’s monthly culinary activities. That day, the group was preparing Thai dishes under the guidance of two Thai members.

Since relocating to Shenzhen in 2018, Japanese engineer Masakazu Takasu has taken on the role of supporting Switch Science, a Japan-based distributor of open-source hardware tools and components, in expanding into the local market and fostering cooperation with the city’s startup and maker communities. Takasu, also an advocate of "maker culture," has witnessed Shenzhen’s evolution from a cost-efficient manufacturing hub to a city where products stand out for their creativity and quality.