(Yicai) March 22 -- Apple's Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook attended the opening ceremony of the US tech company's largest store in Asia and second-largest in the world in Shanghai.

Cook opened the doors of the new store in downtown Shanghai at 7.00 p.m. yesterday and then greeted some customers who had been lining up outside for up to 20 hours. He also signed autographs and took pictures with fans but did not deliver a speech. The store had to close at around 8.30 p.m. due to overcrowded roads outside.

The new Apple Store is located in Shanghai's Jing'an district, right across Jing'an Temple. It is Apple's 57th in China and eighth in Shanghai. The store has 150 employees who can speak Mandarin Chinese, English, Japanese, South Korean, German, Spanish, as well as 25 Chinese dialects.

After visiting Shanghai, Cook is scheduled to travel to Beijing to attend the China Development Forum.

Cook takes a photo with one of the first customers who entered the new flagship store.

A crowd of customers check out Apple's products on display at the new store.

A Chinese customer arrives at the new store wearing an Apple Vision Pro. The extended reality headset is not yet on sale in China.

Cook signs autographs for customers who have purchased Apple products at the new store.

Hundreds of customers line up outside the new Apple Store early before the opening.

Editor: Futura Costaglione