The development of special economic zones will face the challenge of developing from “being large” to “becoming strong” in the new era. When entering the new era，the special economic zones are required to complete the stage transformation of their own development modes，and even re-examine and “re-sort out” their existing development concepts under new historical circumstances，explore the “development concept” most suitable for the new era—that’s，from “getting rich” towards “getting strong”. Besides the economic growth speed，more focuses should be put on the various aspects including environmental protection，innovation capacity，technology and culture.