I went to the Tairan area a lot, mostly because it was the closest downtown strip to my hotel. There are probably nicer places elsewhere, but I just don’t know them..

The underpass on the way

There was a dedicated scooter lane in the underpass? In Korea or Japan, pedestrians come first and a scooter riding onto the sidewalk would be unthinkable, but China just thinks about it completely differently.

The underpass

It’s built from the start so that scooters can ride through. It’s not just the underpasses either: the pedestrian bridges are set up for scooters the same way, and so are the sidewalks. And on the sidewalks, even with a dedicated lane, they didn’t exactly stick to it.. It’s all set up so deliveries can get through as fast as possible..

It turns out the locals already rely heavily on delivery because it’s so cheap and convenient, rather than going out to buy things themselves, and not just food but clothes, office supplies, really every kind of item gets delivered wherever they want.. Several steps ahead of Korea’s Baemin, I’d say.. One of the reasons this works is that they lean on electricity to save on fuel costs, the taxis in Shenzhen were all BYDs too, and I was told delivery fees and transport are cheaper than in other countries because everything runs on electric charging.. With gasoline there’d be nothing left over at those prices.. It made me realise the infrastructure is fundamentally different.. That said, the electric scooters ride around so lawlessly that there’s a real risk of accidents, so I figured I’d better be careful..

blt supermarket

It’s a high-end supermarket that sells things other supermarkets don’t, so curiosity keeps pulling me back. Honestly I’d like to try other high-end supermarkets too, but for that I’d probably have to switch cities or something..

Snacks

Just snapped a photo..

Streets of Tairan

The atmosphere is so quintessentially Chinese that I keep coming back to take photos, I guess..

Supermarket

Everyone seems to work late. The shops stay open late too.. I suspect all the delivery is ultimately because the country is young. In a growing country, time matters more than money.

Street

Even random shots somehow turn into a picture..

Hong Kong-style restaurant

If there’s “Port” in the name, it’s Hong Kong.. Hong Kong means “fragrant harbour”, after all..

Watermelon stand

At places like this they cut the watermelon for you when you order, but I couldn’t eat a whole one by myself so I never tried. Anyway, I did wonder what they sell in winter..

Street scene

The characters have a slightly cheap feel..

Street scene

The rain seems to make it look even better on camera..

Massage

There were so many massage parlours..

Apartments under construction

A huge apartment complex was going up right next to the market.

Outdoor seating

The vibe of eating outside is nice.

Street scene

With the rain, I didn’t feel like crossing over.

Street stall

Having a drink at a place like this before heading back looks nice too.

Convenience store

I like this kind of atmosphere.

The neighbourhood

It was raining so hard that even taking photos wasn’t easy..

Club

It looked pretty stylish, but not the kind of place just anyone could walk into..

Street scene

This kind of atmosphere is nice too..

The way back

I took a shortcut, and there was hardly anyone around..

한국어로 읽기日本語で読む