On the night of August 26, 2025, a gentle sea breeze brushed against the shores of Shenzhen Bay, where hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists gathered, their eyes turned skyward. Suddenly, a single point of light rose from the sea, quickly multiplying into two, four, a hundred, a thousand—until finally, twelve thousand drones took flight. Using the sky as their canvas and the city as their backdrop, they painted a flowing technological masterpiece over Shenzhen’s night sky.

This was more than just a light show; it was a heartfelt tribute from a city to its own 45-year journey of growth. Under precise programmed control, the drone fleet first formed the"1979-2025," marking the passage of time from a small fishing village by the South China Sea to a modern international metropolis. The array then transformed, creating a three-dimensional image of the "Pioneering Bull" sculpture—its horns held high and hooves charging forward—paying homage to the city’s spirit of "daring to lead the world."

The most awe-inspiring moment arrived when the drones, with astonishing precision, reconstructed Shenzhen’s geographical脉络 and skyline in the night sky. From the first skyscraper in Luohu’s old district, the International Trade Building, to the Ping An Finance Center in Futian Central Business District, and then to China Resources Tower in Houhai, Nanshan, the constantly evolving heights of the city over 45 years were displayed in an orderly manner, like a "Digital Shenzhen" suspended in mid-air. The formation culminated in the pledge "Shenzhen Loves 45,共创未来" (Shenzhen Loves 45, Creating the Future Together). As the lights flickered, the entire city erupted in excitement.

Behind this spectacle  of Shenzhen’s globally leading drone industry. Organizers revealed that the entire drone formation performance utilized a independently developed swarm control system, with each drone achieving centimeter-level positioning accuracy and zero errors throughout the show. From creative programming and hardware manufacturing to flight control and cybersecurity, everything was independently completed by local Shenzhen tech companies.

"The drone performance is technology and art," the chief engineer on site stated. "We hope to showcase Shenzhen’s industrial transformation from 'Made in Shenzhen' to 'Intelligently Made in Shenzhen' through this format, allowing citizens to feel the city’s technological innovation capabilities."

The shifting lights in the night sky evoked collective memories for countless Shenzhen locals. Mr. Chen from Futian District, who brought his child to wait early at Talent Park, shared: "As a second-generation Shenzhen native who grew up here, seeing the drones form the International Trade Building I remember from my childhood nearly brought me to tears. This city has changed so rapidly, and we need ceremonies like this to remind us where we came from and where we are headed."

Ms. Wang, a young entrepreneur from Qianhai, recorded the entire event on her phone: "These drones are like us innovators and entrepreneurs in Shenzhen. Individually, we are just points of light, but together, we can illuminate the entire sky. This is the power of Shenzhen."

The timing of this technological feast was deeply symbolic. Forty-five years ago, Shenzhen was designated as China’s first special economic zone, embarking onexperiments in reform and opening-up. Forty-five years later, Shenzhen has become an internationally influential metropolis, with its GDP per capita ranking among the highest in Asia and its PCT international patent applications leading the nation for 18 consecutive years. Patterns such as "Heart of the Bay Area" and "Engine of Innovation" that appeared in the drone performance highlighted Shenzhen’s new role in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and its position as an international hub of technological innovation.

Each drone in the night sky was a coordinate point, connecting to form lines, and lines converging to create surfaces, ultimately composing a grand blueprint. This mirrors Shenzhen’s urban development logic—each entrepreneur, each builder is a point of light in this city, and countless points of light together create the brilliance that is Shenzhen, illuminating the world tonight.

As the last set of drones gradually descended, Shenzhen Bay returned to tranquility, but the city’s forward momentum never ceases. The performance in the night sky has ended, but the city’s splendor never concludes—just as the words formed by the drones declared: "Shenzhen, tomorrow will be even more exciting." At the new starting point of the 45th anniversary of reform and opening-up, Shenzhen once again uses technology as its brush and the sky as its canvas, writing the infinite possibilities of Chinese cities’ futures.