A glimpse of Hongqiao Park in Guangming district of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province.

Dubbed the "Eyes of the GBA", the Bay Area Store of Shenzhen Book City in Bao'an district is a new cultural space integrating literature, exhibitions, public activities and urban leisure.

Members of the international media tour view dinosaur fossils at Shenzhen Natural History Museum.

An AI robot serves up coffee to visitors at Qianhai Block V.

Members of the media tour are shown exhibits at Shenzhen Bay Culture Square.

In Shenzhen, a city often hailed as a "city of the future", tech shopping has become popular among foreign tourists in recent years. In October, an international media visit titled "Shenzhen's Hidden Gems" uncovered some of the reasons behind this trend.

Bridging the market

INNO100 Global Innovation Flagship Store located at the Shenzhen Bay Culture Square is a venue integrating product experience, retail and exchanges of innovative global products.

Here, Jayanti Retno Mandasari, a reporter from Radio Republik Indonesia, was fascinated by a laser engraving machine. She used it to upload a family photo and 20 seconds later, the portrait appeared on a cardholder.

"My mom and my elder sister have already passed away. If I have a cardholder like this, I can have them with me. Every day I can see them," she said.

Equipped with 3D printing, laser engraving and computer numerical control machining devices, the shop offers customers hands-on creation experiences from creative design to finished production.

On Aug 5, INNO100 was featured in a report by Time magazine. It was cited as a representative case showing how global innovative technologies are brought into real life.

Wang Hanyu, co-founder of INNO100, comes into contact with new products every day, helping brands to design sales strategies and optimize customer service workflows.

"There are some major screening criteria for brands to settle in. First and foremost, we check whether the product itself works well. That matters most. A brand may not be widely known yet, but its product has to be practical. And usability can only be judged through real-life usage," Wang said.

The entire process brings him a strong sense of achievement, he said. "Apart from the technical backgrounds, many brand founders lack the knowledge of marketing and sales. I help them build pricing and sales systems. Watching product sales grow steadily is what drives me to do this job."

Nurturing talent

Beyond science museums and brand flagship stores, foreign visitors' tech tours are reaching innovation parks, smart factories and incubation bases.

At Shenzhen InnoX Academy, a talent cultivation and startup incubation institution in Nanshan district, a sausage vending robot drew the attention of foreign reporters on the tour.

Powered by catering robotics technology, the machine enables unmanned food preparation with a standardized workflow for fully autonomous operation.

The machine was inspired by Zhang Shuchang's experience when he was an undergraduate student at Harbin Institute of Technology years ago.

At the end of 2024, Zhang joined the program of Shenzhen InnoX Academy and later decided to advance his project there. He is now the CEO of a technology company in Shenzhen.

"Normally, it takes years of experience to grasp the workflow of incubating a high-tech product. Shenzhen InnoX Academy filled this knowledge gap for me and guided me throughout the product development, helping us transform the concept into a viable product from nothing to something," Zhang said.

After learning about local students' entrepreneurship stories, the media tour group became interested in how foreigners can start businesses in Shenzhen.

Qianhai Block V, which opened in 2025, is a space for building an international talent and innovation ecosystem. Some foreign visitors regard it as a "first stop" for global talent entering the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Integrating talent exchange, technology transfer and professional services, the institution provides guidance for foreign entrepreneurs and startups on Shenzhen's talent policies and incubation model.

After experiencing innovation-driven products on the first floor, Chanchai Wong, a Thai journalist from TNN, said that artificial intelligence-driven instruments have made his music dreams come true.

"I really like the keyboard and drums because I always wanted to make music. Because of these innovations, I can play keyboard and percussion at this place right now," he said.

Mohamad Hafiz, a reporter from Utusan Malaysia, was inspired by the idea of an AI tennis robot on display there.

After learning about the smart training machine, which can play continuous rallies with humans, he thought it might be a good idea to create a similar football robot.

During the media tour, foreign reporters found that technological innovation has reshaped how the city operates, ranging from underground rail lines to low-altitude airspace, and from product incubation to talent cultivation.

"We have visited many places these (past few) days and seen numerous high-rises and a wide range of advanced facilities. In my opinion, when technologies are truly implemented in ordinary people's lives, it represents an advanced level of development. Shenzhen has made it happen," said Zhang Han, a journalist from Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao website.

The media tour spanning five days concluded recently, bringing international journalists and content creators from APEC member economies including the United States, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand to Shenzhen's urban spaces.

Focusing on innovation-driven development and Shenzhen residents' everyday life, they uncovered stories hidden in corners across the city. Their itinerary included the INNO100 Global Innovation Flagship Store, Shenzhen InnoX Academy, Qianhai Block V, Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum and Tencent Internet Plus Future Tech City.

liyou@chinadaily.com.cn