Huaqiangbei, home to the world’s largest electronics marketplace in southern China’s tech hub Shenzhen, is reinventing itself as the world’s artificial intelligence showroom, drawing back foreign traders and tourists hunting for the latest gadgets.

For first-time visitors like Abigail Slagveer from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the sheer scale of Huaqiangbei’s electronics market is overwhelming.

“I came here one and a half hours ago through that front door,” she said, pointing to an entrance just a few metres away on the first floor of Huaqiang Electronics World, one of the major malls in the district. “I’m still stuck here [in the first few stalls].”

Slagveer, scouting for gadgets to sell on her online store, had just spent half an hour at the stall of Red Hoho AI, where a shop assistant surnamed Kurmanjan demonstrated air drum kits and AI-powered educational robots in English. Manager Tina Liu stepped in, stressing that by owning the factory behind the products, they could offer the best price.

International buyers like Slagveer have been returning in greater numbers over the past year, with trade fair seasons busiest for Huaqiangbei, according to Kurmanjan.

The trend comes amid China’s broader push in recent years to lure back global visitors through visa-free entry and expanded tax refunds that boost consumption, reversing the pandemic-era restrictions.