Shantou Photo Gallery - Crumbling Downtown #1

Shantou's historic city centre is in various stages of disrepair. 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. Start near the Shantou Museum at the western edge of Zhongshan Park.

There are pockets of renovated buildings. Here is one that is slated to be a museum on Minzu Road.

The neighbouring streets are fairly gritty. Chain stores are a rare sight, and convenience stores are even rarer.

Heading south, there are contrasting scenes of dilapidation and also large swathes of renovated buildings. They are so freshly finished that shops haven't even moved in yet.

Beef balls are a famous delicacy in Chaoshan cuisine. Hidden on Fuping Road just off the main street is this simply-furnished but clean restaurant.

Heading south after Minzu Road ends, this theatre has been restored but the doors were locked.

Across the street is a traditional Chinese temple.

This historic section is called "Shantou Little Park", with streets radiating from a central roundabout. Some buildings have been restored and have been turned into fancy cafes and shops.

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.