hkskyline's 2019 in Shantou, China

[hkskyline]

Shantou is located in the eastern coast of Guangdong province. Once a fishing village, the city opened as a treaty port in 1860 and prospered. This was also the place where upwards of 2.5 million Chinese boarded ships to move to Southeast Asia in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The high-speed trains have reached this city, taking as little as 3 hours from Guangzhou.



Shantou became one of China's first economic zones in 1981. Apparently, not all special economic zones are as prosperous as Shenzhen, and there has been insufficient maintenance that has resulted in so many historic buildings falling into such a sad state.







Beef balls are a famous delicacy in Chaoshan cuisine.





There are pockets of renovated buildings.















The landmark in historic Shantou is this roundabout where several shopping streets start.



Guoping Road is one of those streets that radiate from the roundabout, but it is a world away, still stuck in the old days and crumbling away.

















The southern section of Guoping Road has been restored but remains mostly empty.



However, redevelopment has not spilled onto the side streets, with many buildings having the danger stickers and seemingly abandoned.





Neighbouring Juping Road has also been fenced off from vehicles but adventurous tourists can still freely enter into the construction zone.















More of Shantou on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/shantou.htm

[FREKI]

Nice ones as always mate!

[muppet]

At least it still has its Old Town, though much in need of restoration.

[MonkeyRonin]

Cool. I remember seeing a photo thread on this city back when I first joined SSC back in 2005 - I'm glad to see it's still around and slowly being restored instead of being demolished for new development.

[gatt]

thanks for sharing.

[hkskyline]

More of Shantou on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/shantou.htm

[hkskyline]

Chen Ci Hong starting building a grand residence in the outlying villages in 1910. The 506-room home was completed in 1939 and displays many traditional local architecture elements, including wood carvings, porcelain, and glass.









































Getting here is quite a challenge. From People's Square and Shantou Railway Station, hop on the 103 bus. Over 1.5 hours later from the city, you will get off in a sparsely-populated suburban area of industrial buildings, farms, and houses in the distance. With sparse signage, follow your online map and walk another 10-15 minutes into the village and the ticketing office.

More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/shantou5.htm

[wrab]

Fascinating! Great set!

[geomorph]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

It surely must take a great deal of vision to attempt restoration of so many buildings at once!

[Nightsky]

Interesting, great pics! Shantou looks much more Chinese then for example Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Except for the cars this city seems to be a good example of how the old China, before the renewal in the 90s, looked.