The past two years have proved to be particularly rewarding for those who put their money in Shenzhen's booming property market.
Take, for instance, the 1,800 people who bought flats at developer Zheng Zhuohui's Metropolis Pearl in suburban Baoan district. In a matter of 24 months, they have made a profit of at least 1 million yuan - more than what an average worker in the city can earn in 25 years.
Average prices at Metropolis Pearl have surged from 4,000 yuan per square metre to 13,000 yuan over the past three years. Riding high on a flourishing market, many property investors have earned fortunes without breaking sweat.
But the city's property developers are the ones who are making a real killing. Surging housing prices have taken Mr Zheng, a farmer turned businessman, to Forbes magazine's list of the richest Chinese. He ranked 231st last year with a personal fortune estimated at US$130 million.
The 55-year old Shenzhen native, who started with only 200 yuan in 1981, said most of his fortune came from the property market. He was bullish that the boom would continue for many years despite a recent dip in property prices.
'Developers will still make plenty of money from the real estate market in the coming decade,' Mr Zheng said. 'The urbanisation across the country has created an incredible number of potential consumers and a huge demand for properties. Surplus capital will also keep flowing into the sector, until investors have a better alternative.'
Like so many rags-to-riches tales in Shenzhen, Mr Zheng's story of wealth began shortly after the sleepy fishing village was designated as one of the mainland's five economic special zones in 1980.