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
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
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.
(black) Shijiazhuang Sea-Gull watch industries Co Ltd
(red) CCP / Shijiazhuang Sea-Gull Watch Industries Co Ltd committee branch office
Through the yard and we headed upstairs.
I don't read Chinese so I'd be happy to get translations of any signage.
I don't read Chinese so I'd be happy to get translations of any signage.
And into the office of the very congenial Factory Manager, 张自力 Mr. Zhang Zili
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.
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.
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.
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.
