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