Tim Cook, who stepped down as Apple CEO on Sept 1 and now serves as the company's executive chairman, visited Tianhe in Guangzhou on Oct 11, marking his first trip to China in his new role.

He visited the Apple Store at Parc Central, where he chatted with customers. The store, which opened in 2016, was Guangzhou's first Apple retail outlet and has long drawn crowds, especially on new product launch days.

Tim Cook poses for a selfie at the Apple Store in Parc Central. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]

It marked Cook's second visit to Guangzhou. Nine years earlier, in December 2017, he attended the Fortune Global Forum in the city as Apple CEO, and that same morning toured a local supplier of front-facing camera components.