AMCHPR China Tour 2018 - April 10th/11th: Edmonton to Guangzhou
Guangzhou Watch and Clock Association, Jiusko, Eyki, Overfly, street food, the Guangzhou Party Pier, the 1200 (24 hour) Bookshop and more...
How to begin?
After 23 hours of travel from wake-up time in Edmonton early the day before, I landed in Guangzhou the evening of April 10th/China time, and took a cab straight from Guangzhou Airport to my home for the next few days, a comfortable 27th floor apartment bedroom with ensuite bathroom, arriving about 9PM .
A friend I'd met at the 2015 China Watch and Clock Fair in Shenzhen in 2015, Mr. Edmond K.Y. Hui (Xu Kaiyuan), the Executive Vice-President of the Guangzhou Watches and Clocks Association/GZWCA, had put me in touch with my host for the next few days, Karl Fang. Karl has an AirB&B in Guangzhou's Tianhe district, and it's comfortable, nicely located and affordable.
Here's a the gated entrance to the apartment, followed by a shot of Guangzhou from the apartment, some shots of the place, and a shot of nearby apartments taken shortly after I arrived. I was back in China, and very happy to be starting my adventures in Guangzhou, which is a huge, gorgeous, and very active city. A big change from small-town Peace River.
After 23 hours of travel from wake-up time in Edmonton early the day before, I landed in Guangzhou the evening of April 10th/China time, and took a cab straight from Guangzhou Airport to my home for the next few days, a comfortable 27th floor apartment bedroom with ensuite bathroom, arriving about 9PM .
A friend I'd met at the 2015 China Watch and Clock Fair in Shenzhen in 2015, Mr. Edmond K.Y. Hui (Xu Kaiyuan), the Executive Vice-President of the Guangzhou Watches and Clocks Association/GZWCA, had put me in touch with my host for the next few days, Karl Fang. Karl has an AirB&B in Guangzhou's Tianhe district, and it's comfortable, nicely located and affordable.
Here's a the gated entrance to the apartment, followed by a shot of Guangzhou from the apartment, some shots of the place, and a shot of nearby apartments taken shortly after I arrived. I was back in China, and very happy to be starting my adventures in Guangzhou, which is a huge, gorgeous, and very active city. A big change from small-town Peace River.
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Karl is young, energetic and great fun to hang with. We got along immediately, and headed out for a few beers at a local pub...very friendly place...
...and then ended up eating some amazing street food at about 3:30AM. Yes, there's still plently of night life in Guangzhou at 3AM. I pigged out on a top quality, but extremely typical street product known as 串儿 or Chuan'er, lamb skewers spiced to the hilt with a cumin mix that promotes extreme drooling for more.
So when the photo below was taken, it was now the 11th, I'd been up about 30 hours...and so please excuse the crappy selfie. We got back to the apartment at about 4:30 and I crashed. I was scheduled to meet Mr. Hui at the GZWCA offices at noon.
So when the photo below was taken, it was now the 11th, I'd been up about 30 hours...and so please excuse the crappy selfie. We got back to the apartment at about 4:30 and I crashed. I was scheduled to meet Mr. Hui at the GZWCA offices at noon.
Here's me--on time-- outside the GZWCA headquarters on Guangyuan West Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, May 11th/2018.
And with Mr. Edmond K.Y. Hui (Xu Kaiyuan), the Executive Vice-President of the Guangzhou Watches and Clocks Association/GZWCA.
Below, left to right, Lily Young/Lang Liyan, GZWCA member and PR Officer, Mr. Hui/Xu Kaiyuan, me, and Sui Wai Wong, the Deputy Secretary General of the GZWCA.
I'll let these next photos speak for themselves, with the caveat that the photo-fu will need some excusing. Shooting through display cabinets is never that effective, and my intent here--rather than displaying the individual watches--is to show a small selection of the range of brands under the GZWCA umbrella...
So, yes...at this point, I'd only been in China for an overnight and early afternoon, and already my head was spinning with new info. So many brands--and learning, for just one notable example, things like that the very popular fashion brand BOSS has GZWCA member companies building their watches.
While there, my hosts at the GZWCA very kindly gifted the AMCHPR two pocket watches, made by a GZWCA member company under the German-sounding Krohnen & Sohne brand name (although the website states that "nowadays Kronen & Söhne's products are authorized manufacture and sales by Chinese company Trillion Top Company Ltd.").
While there, my hosts at the GZWCA very kindly gifted the AMCHPR two pocket watches, made by a GZWCA member company under the German-sounding Krohnen & Sohne brand name (although the website states that "nowadays Kronen & Söhne's products are authorized manufacture and sales by Chinese company Trillion Top Company Ltd.").
That brought us to a late lunch at a nearby restaurant...
...followed by a trip to the offices of the Guangzhou Yonghong Watch Technology Development Co. Ltd, home of the Eyki, Jiusko, Kimio and Overfly watch brands. I was looking forward to meeting another friend from the CWCF 2015, the Business Manager of the GYWTDC, Ltd and Chief Supervisor/
监事长 of the GZWCA, Lin Huiqiong (seen here as we discuss with Mr. Hui, in the white and black, in her main office.)
监事长 of the GZWCA, Lin Huiqiong (seen here as we discuss with Mr. Hui, in the white and black, in her main office.)
Coming up...sixty shots from the showrooms, or about sixty thousand words worth of photos from the Head Office display areas. The photos (apart from showroom wide shots) are Overfly, Eyki, Kimio, and then Jiusko.
After the photo shooting, Mr. Hui and I discussed what I'd seen today, and made plans for tomorrow, and then got together for a group shot with other Guangzhou Yonghong staff, before heading out to dinner with PR Officer Lang Liyan, and Business Manager and Chief Supervisor Lin Huiqiong.
I don't know the name of the restaurant, but it was lovely and the food rawked. Anyone who can read Hanzi will know. Feel free to please translate for me :-)
And I'm including this shot because any time I get a nice photo of me with two smart women, I'm running with it :-)
That was the end of watch and clock-related activities for the day, so after saying good night and copious thanks to me friends for the time together, and the amazing hospitality, I was kindly provided a cab and got back to my B&B at about 10PM.
The thing is: I as tired, some--but way more excited than tired. My head was just rolling with new information and insights--and tomorrow was gonna be spent meeting up with Brad Green of EastWatchreview, and Ed Tse of HKED watches, in scenic Shenzhen, so I was way too stimulated to go to sleep. Karl was understanding and up for an outing, and offered to guide me to Guangzhou's evidently quite famous "Party Pier", also known as the Zhujiang Party Pier Beer Culture and Art Zone.
That sounded like...perfect. Here's some photos of the Party Pier...not that busy on a Wednesday night, but perfect for a couple of quiet beers and some walking around Guangzhou photo taking...
The thing is: I as tired, some--but way more excited than tired. My head was just rolling with new information and insights--and tomorrow was gonna be spent meeting up with Brad Green of EastWatchreview, and Ed Tse of HKED watches, in scenic Shenzhen, so I was way too stimulated to go to sleep. Karl was understanding and up for an outing, and offered to guide me to Guangzhou's evidently quite famous "Party Pier", also known as the Zhujiang Party Pier Beer Culture and Art Zone.
That sounded like...perfect. Here's some photos of the Party Pier...not that busy on a Wednesday night, but perfect for a couple of quiet beers and some walking around Guangzhou photo taking...
The thing is...a man gets hungry, so after hanging around the Pier grabbing a a couple of slow brews while listening to a few very skilled Chinese pop artists and some acts that covered western tunes, it was off walking the fairly empty 3 AM streets to where the food carts set up...
OK, then. Busy day, relaxing and fascinating night, topped off with good food--so time to stroll back to the apartment, but not before visiting the kinda-famous 24 hour 1200 Bookshop, located in the basement floor of a nearby apartment and office complex.
Quite a night, so these last shots are from the walk home.
Next installment: Shenzhen with Ed Tse and Brad Green, and a night at the very entertaining Cruise Inn, a landlocked and repurposed ex-cruise ship, now a high-end hotel at the Minghua Ship Sea World, Shekou, Shenzhen, Guangdong.
After I get back to Guangzhou from my overnight in Shenzhen, Mr. Hui and I are visiting the Shanghai Watch Factory production facilities in Guangzhou, as well as the Rarone Horological Institute watchmaking school attached to the Guangdong Light Industry College, and the production facilities of the Shangzhi Watch Industry Co, Ltd.
And Mr. Hui has a surprise for me, too...
Next installment: Shenzhen with Ed Tse and Brad Green, and a night at the very entertaining Cruise Inn, a landlocked and repurposed ex-cruise ship, now a high-end hotel at the Minghua Ship Sea World, Shekou, Shenzhen, Guangdong.
After I get back to Guangzhou from my overnight in Shenzhen, Mr. Hui and I are visiting the Shanghai Watch Factory production facilities in Guangzhou, as well as the Rarone Horological Institute watchmaking school attached to the Guangdong Light Industry College, and the production facilities of the Shangzhi Watch Industry Co, Ltd.
And Mr. Hui has a surprise for me, too...
...and...
...that's all for tonight, folks :-)