SHENZHEN -- A "digital innovation service center" in downtown Shenzhen, a sprawling tech hub in southern China, was designed to cater to the local startup scene. A poster in the office promises legal, recruitment and other help for "advanced enterprises in the digital content industry" looking to gain a foothold in the Greater Bay Area, an economic cluster encompassing Shenzhen and its neighboring cities, as well as Hong Kong and Macao.
A recent visit, however, revealed few signs of anything digital or particularly innovative. Many of the small offices designed for startups were empty. Some of the few tenants were offering yoga and Pilates classes, with brightly lit logos outside their doors and photos of instructors on the walls.
