Why this journey
Nowhere else on Earth packs three airports of 10M+ annual passengers into a 150-km radius — across two different aviation systems. In July 2026 I spent 4 days linking Shenzhen Bao'an, Hong Kong International and Guangzhou Baiyun into one route, starting from Chengdu. Flights, hotels, spotting positions, the border crossing — all researched and planned by me, with my parents accompanying.
The hotel is the spot
The first method this trip taught me: don't pick a hotel by "how close to the airport" — pick it by what the window faces. Night one I stayed at the Bao'an airport hotel; it rained hard that day, and while everyone else packed up, I shot the entire wet-apron series from my room. The next morning I cancelled my Huaqiangbei plan to wait for an Air China 747-400 (B-2447). A runway change cost me the landing — but the same window eventually gave me its departure, bound for Beijing.
In Hong Kong I forgot my own lesson: I stayed at Discovery Bay, then went to the Regal Airport Hotel to shoot — and got stopped by security at the elevators. Not a guest, no access. I finished the day shooting Cathay's oneworld 777 from the parking lot. A good decision isn't just made once; it has to be recognized and reused at the next stop. That was the most expensive lesson of the trip.
The photos I only understood later
Two days after I got home, I read the news: in H1 2026, Guangzhou Baiyun overtook Shanghai Pudong to become China's busiest airport, on the strength of fast-recovering Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa routes plus its new Terminal 3 and fifth runway.
I went back through my photos: Mahan Air (Iran), Turkish Airlines, AirAsia (Southeast Asia) — exactly the evidence behind that headline. And the COMAC C919 I stumbled on while waiting to board told the other big story on the same apron: China's home-built airliner. I didn't predict the news. I just happened to be there, with the camera pointed the right way. It took me two days to understand what I had photographed — which is probably why I'll keep shooting. The full numbers, the history of all three airports, and how far that idea actually holds up are on the Greater Bay Area & The World page.
This site will grow
Right now it holds one journey. Coming next: my earlier Chengdu archives, the next expedition, and bilingual spotting guides for every position I've field-tested — English-language spotting info on Chinese airports is scarce, and I want to help fill that gap.
Numbers: 4 days · 3 cities · 3 airports shot · 1 border crossing · ~1000 shutter clicks · 2 films.