After reform and opening up, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and its urban construction have an unusual significance for China. However, the prevailing emergence of urban parks built in a super speed in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone is not paid much attention by the academia regarding its historical process of construction. This study examines the history of urban park construction through dual lenses of "nation-state" and "global-local" with a hope to explore the genealogy and reason lying behind the local practice of urban park construction in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone from a transnational global perspective. The authors argue that the construction of urban parks in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in the 1980s was closely related to foreign capital investment. Moreover, the national form adopted in park design during this period coincided with that of the special economic zones as a node of national rejuvenation. Relying on the global flow of ideas, this research attempts to provide interpretative view to comprehend the construction history of urban parks in China at the very beginning of the reform and opening. HIGHLIGHTS• Explores the relationship between urbanization, urban policy, and urban parks in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in the 1980s• Argues that the greening construction in Singapore significantly influenced the construction of urban parks in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in the 1980s• Examines the formal representation of the nation-state in the design and conceptual genealogy of urban parks in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone