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    • Click HERE for detailed itineraries
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      • Oct 11th 2024 Merkur Fanzhi
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      • Shenzhen CWCF2019 w RedStar Watches
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      • TRIP 4 2015 PART I - SHENZHEN AND CWCF
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    • 2013 >
      • Shanghai Apr. 3-7
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    • 2011 (First Visit) >
      • I Beijing
      • 2 Beijing w/Joel Chan
      • 3 Panjiayuan & more
      • 4 Shijiazhuang
      • 5 Whipping Top
      • 6 To Cangyanshan
      • 7 At Cangyanshan
      • 8 Shijiazhuang 2
      • 9 To Tianjin
      • 10 Tianjin Day/Dusk
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      • 12 Sea-Gull Watch Factory
      • 14 Beijing to home
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      • 15 - Extra Shots/notes
  • Curator: Ron Good
  • East Watch Review
  • TERMS/TRANSLATIONS
  • Acknowledgements
  • PEACE RIVER
  • ARTICLES
  • Atelier Wen Porcelain Odyssey "Hao" visits the AMCHPR
  • Ben Chee Celadon Imperial 100
  • AMCHPR Travel Tips
    • AviatorUSA Travel Jeans Review
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  • Untitled
  • HOME
  • EXHIBITS
    • Chinese Watches
    • Clocks
    • Ephemera
    • Parts and Tools
    • Non-Chinese Watches
    • Other Exhibits
    • Wrist Shots
    • Random watch shots
    • Facebook Cover Photos
    • AMCHPR Desktop Backgrounds
  • CHINA TRAVELS
    • Click HERE for detailed itineraries
    • 2024 >
      • Oct 11th 2024 Merkur Fanzhi
      • Oct 14th 2024: Beijing Enamel Factory
      • Oct 15-19th 2024: Wuhan
      • Oct 30th-31st Shanghai Watch E-commerce in Hangzhou
      • Nov 1st - Shanghai Watch Factory Museum
    • 2023 >
      • Shanghai Aug 25th 2023
      • Shenzhen Sept 3 2023
      • Dandong Sept 9th 2023 Peacock WG
      • Shijiazhuang Sea-Gull Watch
      • Tianjin Sept 13th 2023 Tianjin MVT College
      • Mr Liu Shuli Sept 16th 17th 2023
    • 2019 >
      • 2019 June 7 - Luoyang with Mr. Li
      • Fuxi Mountain Glass Bridge 06/08/19
      • June 9-13 in Fenghuang, Hunan
      • Shanghai 06/16 Shanghai Watch Factory
      • AMCHPR 06/18 w/Guo Ming (AHCI) and A.J.
      • Shenzhen CWCF2019 w RedStar Watches
    • 2018 >
      • Trip 5 - April 10/11 2018 Guangzhou
      • Trip 5 - April 12/13 2018 Shenzhen
      • Trip 5 - April 13/14 2018 Guangzhou
      • Trip 5 - April 15 2018 Guangzhou to Xian
      • Trip 5 - April 16 2018 Xian/Terracotta
      • Trip 5 - April 16 2018 Xinmi after Xian
      • Trip 5 - April 17 2018 Xinmi last day
      • Trip 5 - April 18-19 2018 Shanghai 1
      • Trip 5 - April 21 2018 Shanghai/Suzhou
      • Trip 5 - April 23 2018 Part 2 Shandong Liaocheng Zhong Tai Watch
      • Trip 5 - April 22/24 2018 Pt 1 Shandong Langelo Clocks
      • Trip 5 - April 25th 2018 Jinan Day 1
    • 2018 Part 2 >
      • Trip 5 - April 26th 2018 Jinan Day 2
      • Trip 5 - Sunday, May 6 2018 Beijing
    • 2015 >
      • TRIP 4 2015 PART I - SHENZHEN AND CWCF
      • TRIP 4 2015 - PART II: GUILIN/YAO MTN
      • Trip 4 2015 - Part II : Guilin/Yangshuo
      • Trip 4 2015 - Part III : Xinmi
      • Trip 4 2015 - Part IV : Xinmi and Luoyang
    • 2014 >
      • Beijing June 8/9 2014
      • Beijing June 10th
      • Yantai June 11/12
      • Yantai June 13
      • Shijiazhuang June 14
      • Shanghai June 18-21
      • Guangzhou June 22-23
      • Guangzhou/Zhuhai June 24
      • Guangzhou 5 Goat more June 25
      • 25th CWCF 2014 June 26
      • More CWCF - June 27-29
      • CWCF Social Activities June 26-29
      • Beijing July 1-5
    • 2013 >
      • Shanghai Apr. 3-7
      • Luoyang, Longmen, Zhengzhou Apr 8-13
      • Shijiazhuang w/Ma Rong Apr. 14-19
      • Tianjin Sea-Gull WF - Apr. 20-23
      • Beijing Lishi & Great Wall April 24-28
    • 2011 (First Visit) >
      • I Beijing
      • 2 Beijing w/Joel Chan
      • 3 Panjiayuan & more
      • 4 Shijiazhuang
      • 5 Whipping Top
      • 6 To Cangyanshan
      • 7 At Cangyanshan
      • 8 Shijiazhuang 2
      • 9 To Tianjin
      • 10 Tianjin Day/Dusk
      • 11 Tianjin at night
      • 12 Sea-Gull Watch Factory
      • 14 Beijing to home
      • 13 More Beijing
      • 15 - Extra Shots/notes
  • Curator: Ron Good
  • East Watch Review
  • TERMS/TRANSLATIONS
  • Acknowledgements
  • PEACE RIVER
  • ARTICLES
  • Atelier Wen Porcelain Odyssey "Hao" visits the AMCHPR
  • Ben Chee Celadon Imperial 100
  • AMCHPR Travel Tips
    • AviatorUSA Travel Jeans Review
    • Travel Vests
  • Watch Photography Resources
  • Additional Resources
  • Untitled

Shijiazhuang Sea-Gull Watch industries Co Ltd - Sept 11 2023, & more

I've visited Shijiazhuang every time I've visited China, so 7 times as of this writing. Many of the visits are recorded here.

Shijiazhuang is an industrial city of about 11 million people, about 300km sorta southwest from Beijing. It's the largest city in Hebei province. It's not known as a tourist destination--but it's a nice city, and I cherish every minute I spend there because it's the home of my brother Ma Rong and his family.

My watch interests stipulated, I've known the factory existed for years. It still wasn't until this year that I decided to make an intentional point of seeing it, and my good fortune held up.

My chance to see the factory came about beautifully. I mentioned my hope to see the factory to Ma Rong, who didn't let me know until he'd pulled it off, and who contacted his aunt who had a friend, 次爱军  Mr. Ci Aiju,  who was a former employee of the factory, and he had friends there still!

Mr. Ci Aiju, former Sea-Gull employee
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ISome phone calls were made, and I provided some backup bio material (my CHA membership, business card, etc)...and...on Sept 11th 2023 I very happily found myself invited to the most recent location of Shijiazhuang Sea-Gull Watch industries Co Ltd, which is some distance from the old factory site. This is the entrance signage.
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(black) Shijiazhuang Sea-Gull watch industries Co Ltd
(red) CCP / Shijiazhuang Sea-Gull Watch Industries Co Ltd committee branch office

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Through the yard and we headed upstairs.
I don't read Chinese so I'd be happy to get translations of any signage.
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And into the office of the very congenial Factory Manager, 张自力 Mr. Zhang  Zili
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This is, I hope, of special interest to our best movement experts. In front of Mr. Zhang is a case of sample movements. These are the items he showed me, described as made by this factory.
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And, with that, on to the factory floor. As with some other factories, Shijiazhuang asked me to understand that we would be confining the tour to the parts manufacturing areas, but not the positive pressured assembly areas--and I understood that as perfectly reasonable. (Interestingly, Tiajin Sea-Gull took a very different approach, when I visited there in 2013, opting to show the positive pressured assembly areas but not the more industrial parts manufacturing sections). In any case...here are some of the photos i took of the shop area.
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As we left, Mr. Ci was talking to a gentlemen near the gate who offered to provide some historic photos of the old factory site, and some promotional copy via wechat.

I don't know the full context of these but I'm very, very grateful to be able to share them.

The first photo is new, describing the Shijiazhuang Metro stop for the same street as the original Shijiazhuang Watch Factory: Shiguangjie, or: Time Street.
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Bucket list stuff. I get to tour the progeny of a historic watch factory in my brother's home city, with my brother and a past employee of the original factory.  What more could I ask of a day.

After the tour, Ma Rong (in the white t-shirt), Mr. Ci and I went for lunch at a place near Mr. Ci's home, and had a wonderful meal and some 42% Chinese spirits while Mr. Ci told his stories.
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Copyright © AMCHPR 2015 - 中国手表博物馆,皮斯里弗,艾伯塔省 - *1 No, of course it's not an official Alberta museum.