Thousands waited in the rain for the opening of a new Apple store in Guangzhou on Thursday.
The sheer turnout and enthusiasm of the Chinese public for Apple goods should reassure the company that its faith in China has been well placed.
Guangzhou is the third-largest city in China, with around 13 million residents. It's also the capital of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, located near Hong Kong.
Its newly opened Apple store is the American firm's 28th in the mainland. That's the 32nd store in Greater China, if you count the four it already runs in Hong Kong.
Apple has been aggressively expanding in China over the past 12 months, on track for its goal of having 40 stores in Greater China by mid-2016.
At the start of 2015, it had 20 stores in the country at the start of 2015, having opened its first in Beijing in 2008. But it's greatly accelerated its efforts in recent months, as it continues to lean on Chinese demand.
Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that its decision to make a gold iPhone was largely to cater to the Chinese liking for the colour.
Despite the country's shaky economy, Chinese buyers were also responsible for $12.5 billion in revenue in Apple's fourth quarter of 2015 -- up from the $6.29 billion over the same period in 2014.
