In Shenzhen, technology is the new tourist attraction

At Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen’s mega electronics marketplace, Bryan Lamothe-Arice wove his way through a maze of shops packed with everything from electronic components to the latest consumer products.

Lamothe-Arice, an American tourist visiting with his family, showed up with a pretty simple shopping list. He just wanted a pair of wireless headphones for the gym. But it didn’t take long before all sorts of other gadgets caught his eye.

Foreign tourists select electronic products at Huaqiangbei. Xinhua

“I’m also very interested in the e-bikes, scooters, cameras and drones here,” he said.

Lamothe-Arice is part of a growing stream of international visitors exploring Shenzhen, a global hub for innovation and advanced manufacturing.

As China has made entry easier for foreign travelers, visitors are coming to the city not only for its traditional attractions, but also for a chance to experience its technologies that still feel futuristic elsewhere.

Huaqiangbei, home to more than 115,000 commercial entities and 35 specialized markets, serves as a major destination for Shenzhen’s high-tech experiences.

Nearly 8,000 foreign buyers visited Huaqiangbei on an average day this year, according to local government data. From January through July, sales of AI products surged more than 55% from a year earlier in the area. Sales of AI glasses doubled, while sales of drones and robots climbed by 60% to 70% during the same period.

Xiao Wenlong, a longtime vendor there, said foreign customers have become noticeably more common this year.

“For them, the products here offer great value for money,” Xiao said. “Most come with their families as tourists and pick up products while they’re here.”

Janwick Hattingh, a visitor from South Africa, bought a power bank. He also had his Apple computer and his daughter’s watch repaired during his visit.

“It’s quite advanced here,” he said. “You can find any tech product you can think of.”

But the appeal of Shenzhen’s technology is increasingly moving beyond the shelves of electronics markets.

At a DJI flagship store in the city, Marta Cerrolaza, who runs a winery in Spain, was studying agricultural drones with a practical question in mind: Could they work in her vineyards back home?

Cerrolaza said DJI is well known in Spain for its cameras and drones, adding that she hoped to use its drones at her winery and transform it into a high-tech winery.

Wang Linlin, a staff member at the DJI store, said overseas customers accounted for about 40% of orders over the past two weeks, with many visitors coming from Europe and South America.

Elsewhere in Shenzhen, the technology visitors can experience is proving even more popular than the products they can purchase.

At a robot 6S store in Longgang District, billed as the world’s first of its kind, Jamaican tourist Daniela and her friends tried robot combat games before eating at a restaurant staffed entirely by robots.

“What amazed me most was the humanoid robot. It has a lot of joints and can move very well,” said Daniela. “I really look forward to having a service robot like that at home to read bedtime stories and cook meals for me.”

More than 5 million foreign entries and exits were recorded through Shenzhen as of early August this year, surpassing that mark 58 days earlier than last year, according to border inspection data. (Xinhua)