Scenes of China: Huizhou, Guangdong

In earlier posts I asked whether anyone could identify the city in the photos here and here. I suspected it would be difficult and indeed I didn't receive any correct responses. "KingTubby" correctly identified the body of water in two of the photos as West Lake, but I suspect he knows it's a good guess to make since there are a number of cities in China with a West Lake (and a reason I didn't ask "name that lake").

The city is in fact Huizhou in Guangdong province. It is just a couple of hours by bus or train from Shenzhen, the city in mainland China that has a border with Hong Kong. And for any of you who may live in Milpitas, California, USA this is your "sister city" in China.

According to Newsgd.com, which claims to be "the premier online source of Guangdong news and information", Huizhou:

...has absorbed, digested and renovated advanced technologies and management from abroad to nurture and build its own industries and brand names, such as TCL, Desai, Maikete, Huayang and Bailubao. People first coming to Huizhou are immediately aware of the presence of TCL, which ranks third among China's top 100 electronic enterprises, and whose emblem, signs and sales outlets can be found everywhere in the city. The company mainly manufactures telephones, color TV sets, computers and mobile phones. Its successful operations have energized the whole city.

I'll have to confess that upon arriving in Huizhou I wasn't immediately aware of anything that suggested TCL's presence. I'm doubtful that TCL played a role in one my first experiences in Huizhou, this auto-rickshaw I rode to my hotel:

By coincidence, a few days later the same rickshaw driver was driving by and picked me up when I left the hotel.

On that note, here are other photos of scenes in Huizhou that show some of what else reached my awareness there:

Street in central shopping district

Man playing an erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument

Entrance to an alley where there were many stores selling "antiques" (or what at least looked like antiques)

Night market

Modern skyline

Just a random street in the city center

Driving lessons start early

Peanuts were a common snack sold in the city

View from a historical tower

College students handing out real estate brochures for a part time job

Local market in a suburb

Employee at a small clothing store having a good laugh

And as the last photo reminds, more soon on shopping experiences and technology in China.