Reports suggesting an impending move of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange to Guangzhou have in recent months triggered a fierce debate on which city is best suited to be the Pearl River Delta's (PRD) economic locomotive. Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province,one of the country's most developed areas, hopes to lift its profile as a regional financial hub. Meanwhile, Shenzhen,one of the four original special economic zones (SEZ) designated by the central government in the early 1980sto spearhead economic reform, desires to maintain its status as a gateway to the overseas markets.