I was invited (with my boss and another colleague) to the International Quantum Academy in Shenzhen to give a talk after I edited Single-Electron Spin Qubits in Silicon for Quantum Computing, a paper written by some researchers who are based there. Siqi came with me, and spent Friday as a tourist on his own. (He went to Huaqiangbei electronics market.) Then we spent Saturday as tourists together.
- Thursday, June 5 – flight from Hangzhou to Shenzhen
- Friday, June 6 – talk at the International Quantum Academy
- Saturday, June 7 – visit to Dafen Oil Painting Village and Sungang Home Furnishings Market
- Sunday, June 8 – return flight from Shenzhen to Hangzhou
In and around the hotel
After arriving at the hotel, I worked on my computer in the room for a while. Siqi shared with me the snack he ordered to be delivered from a barbecue restaurant.
At dinnertime, we left the hotel together and walked to a row of restaurants where we chose one to eat. The humid air, palm trees, and style of residential towers reminded me a bit of Singapore.
At the International Quantum Academy in Shenzhen
On Friday after breakfast, my boss and my colleague and I went from the hotel to the International Quantum Academy.
See my other post about the trip to Shenzhen for details on my visit to the International Quantum Academy.
Ping An Finance Center
After my talk and my boss’ talk, our hosts took us out for early dinner at a mall next to the Ping An Finance Center, the tallest building in Shenzhen (and the 2nd tallest in all of China!) at 115 stories.
Huaqiangbei electronics market
While I was at the International Quantum Academy, Siqi went to Huaqiangbei electronics market. He found some handheld emulator game consoles, a whole floor of stalls selling LEDs, an untold number of refurbished smartphones, more flashlights than you can shake a stick at, and someone selling the cheap robot dog featured in this hilarious Wired article, among other things.
After hours of delighted exploration, Siqi emerged triumphant with a new flashlight, some random LEDs, and some second-hand CDs. The two ridiculously powerful laser pointers he bought were shipped directly to our house; he didn’t want to take them through airport security.
To Dafen Oil Painting Village
On Saturday after breakfast, Siqi and I headed to Dafen Oil Painting Village. I took some photos out the window of the taxi on the way.
Dafen Oil Painting Village
This is a neighborhood full of shops and workshops. You can look at paintings, watch people paint, buy paintings and get them framed, or even do painting yourself if you want. We mostly just walked around and looked at paintings.
The English text to the left of the map says:
Dafen, known as the “First Oil Painting Village in China,” is located in Dafen Community, Buji Subdistrict, Longgang District, Shenzhen. It is not only the largest production and trading base but also an important global trading center for oil paintings. Within a core area of only about 0.4 square kilometers, Dafen accommodates more than 1,200 galleries and art institutions of various sizes, nearly 100 representative companies, and about 8,000 professionals in the oil painting business. There are about 20,000 professionals in the business if the surrounding communities are included. The cultural industry in Dafen is centered on oil painting. In addition, there are also traditional Chinese art genres including traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, seal carving, embroidery and ceramics, woodcut, sculpture, and contemporary art. Moreover, and industrial chain including mounting, framing, painting material, and logistics as well as oil painting practices and art education continuously develop in this area. Today, Dafen is more than oil painting; it has become a colorful, artistic place where all types of art can inhabit harmoniously.
Sungang Home Furnishings Market
I didn’t document our shopping experience in Sungang Home Furnishings Market in the latter part of the afternoon. We went in shops selling all sorts of attractive items made from leather, wood, glass, porcelain, ceramic, and stone. Surprisingly, we encountered imported Bohemian crystal and taxidermied peacocks!
I most enjoyed looking in the shops selling natural mineral formations and things made from stone. I wish I could have taken photos of some of them, but that seemed like it would have been rude. I saw some beautiful red jasper, and some really sparkly grey crystals that I couldn’t identify. The only things we bought were a bi disc (Siqi) and an amethyst sphere (me), both from the same shop.
As the shops began to close, we found an Italian restaurant on the roof of one of the buildings, and that’s where we finally sat down for a relaxing dinner.
Shenzhen Airport
On Sunday after breakfast, we got a taxi to the airport rather than trying to squeeze in any more tourism.
After being dropped off, we stood and watched the cars pass for a while because I was trying to collect photos of a few more Guangdong license plates for my collection. I got a couple more, but didn’t manage to complete the set. Oh well.
We had lunch in the airport. After lunch, Siqi got a Starbucks coffee, and I got… a Blizzard from the weirdest-looking Dairy Queen I have ever seen!
Back to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province
