Nvidia’s CEO’s First China Trip in 2026 Starting from Shanghai office and a wet market

On the afternoon of January 24, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unexpectedly showed up at the Jinde Wet Market on Rushan Road, near Lujiazui in Shanghai’s Pudong district, where he sampled and bought fruit and local snacks, drawing crowds eager to watch and take photos. This time, however, he was not wearing his trademark leather jacket.

Seeing the boss of the world’s most valuable company casually strolling through a Shanghai wet market, some netizens exclaimed, “Wow, this is unbelievable!” Others happily posted selfies with Jensen Huang, joking that “you can even run into the world’s GPU tycoon just by going grocery shopping in Shanghai.”

Videos circulating online show Huang chatting cheerfully with a fruit vendor while tasting samples, and even signing his name on a red envelope. He also appeared to shop generously, buying whole boxes of fruit—including selenium-rich strawberries, nicknamed “White Lover,” as well as kumquats and other produce—likely in preparation for an upcoming company annual gathering.

At a time when online grocery shopping is increasingly dominant in China’s major cities, finding a proper wet market for Huang’s visit clearly took some planning by his team.

The Jinde Market he visited had only recently been renovated, with a significantly improved shopping environment, and it serves as the main wet market for the Lujiazui area.

Huang’s fondness for visiting local markets is hardly a secret. A self-described “street food enthusiast,” he has toured wet markets in multiple cities during his China trips over the past year. Beyond Taipei’s night markets, he was spotted last July in Nanluoguxiang during the Beijing Chain Expo—wearing a leather jacket and sipping a drink in the sweltering summer heat.

In November 2024, Huang appeared at a dai pai dong in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, sharing beers with more than a dozen people at the same table. Among them were Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology President Nancy Ip, Council Chairman Shen Xiangyang, and Sequoia Capital’s Neil Shen.

On January 26, Jensen Huang was spotted at WF Central in Beijing, where he dined at Half Mountain Yunnan Cuisine. During the meal, he happily posed for photos with other diners, creating a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. According to individuals who took photos with Huang and later spoke to medias, Jensen came across as notably warm, approachable, and humble throughout the interactions.

On January 27, 2026, Jensen Huang was spotted in Shenzhen. Accompanied by six friends, he dined at the Bafangli Beef Hotpot restaurant located in the COCO Park area of the Lingzhan Central City mall. The group of seven spent just over 800 yuan in total.

According to restaurant staff, Jensen and his companions were relaxed and approachable, and their meal was not interrupted. Afterward, he readily agreed to take photos with employees and even signed a plate. Jensen told those present, “The beef in Shenzhen is very fresh and really delicious. I’ll definitely come back again if I have the chance.”

On January 28, Jensen Huang appeared outside Nvidia’s office building in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, wearing a black jacket and black trousers. After attending an event at Nvidia’s Shenzhen office earlier that morning, he came downstairs around noon, interacted with people on site, signed autographs, and then left by car.

Previously, in January 2025, Huang handed out generous “red envelopes” at Nvidia Shenzhen’s annual company event, including more than a dozen worth 10,000 yuan and 25,000 yuan each, as well as five worth 40,000 yuan. At the time, Huang said that on his next visit, the red envelopes would be worth as much as 100,000 yuan.

Beneath the lively, down-to-earth atmosphere surrounding Huang’s China trip, a discreet “spin-off economy” has also emerged. On January 26, when a Securities Times reporter asked several Nvidia employees outside the Shenzhen office whether they knew when Huang would arrive in Shenzhen, all replied that they did not. At the same time, however, posts had already appeared on platforms such as Xiaohongshu offering “photo opportunities with Jensen Huang in Shenzhen” for 25,000 yuan.

After contacting one such seller, the reporter was told that Huang would be in Shenzhen on January 27, and that after payment, buyers could be arranged to take photos with him through what the seller described as “the most reliable channel.” To bolster credibility, the seller claimed that photo arrangements in Beijing had already been successfully completed and shared images of buyers posing with Huang in Beijing.

The seller said that Huang’s time and locations in Shenzhen were “not publicly announced,” but that they had access to advance information and could plan and arrange the photo-taking process. When asked what the specific channel was, the seller declined to disclose details, saying only that “this can’t be explained, but the photo will definitely happen.”

Beyond the 25,000-yuan photo opportunities, second-hand platforms such as Xianyu have also seen listings for “personally signed red envelopes” that Huang handed out during his Shanghai visit, priced at 99,999 yuan. The listings describe them as: “Personally handed out and personally signed by Jensen Huang, brand new and unused! Original, first-hand item. A rare, top-tier collectible from the tech world. Signature guaranteed authentic. Highly valuable whether for display, collection by tech fans, or as a unique collectible—don’t miss out.”

In recent years, visits to China by top executives from U.S. tech giants have often featured “curated local experiences.” Huang’s market-hopping habits give him an especially down-to-earth image, while Apple CEO Tim Cook is frequently seen in parks and art venues during his China trips—very much in line with Apple’s brand identity. More recently, during South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s visit to China, Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong was also spotted casually strolling through a Beijing shopping mall with his entourage.

Jensen Huang arrived in Shanghai on the afternoon of January 23, with his first stop being Nvidia’s new office in Zhangjiang, where he met with employees, answered many of their questions, and reviewed the company’s major developments in 2025.

A blurry photo of Jensen visiting a Shanghai facility was posted on social media yesterday afternoon, and Tencent Tech quickly reported on it. From that moment on, Jensen’s trip to China drew widespread attention. There’s little doubt that he has now become the most closely watched American business figure in China. Even the aunties selling vegetables at the local wet market know who he is.