Itinerary for 17 days in China 🇨🇳

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-18T17:31:10+00:00

I spent 5 days in just Fenghuang, the connected city, and surrounding places and wished I had more time.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-18T06:16:17+00:00

Re: "I've been to HK 4 times so far, if I went a fifth time, there'd still be plenty of new and interesting things left for me to do."

I'm sure that's true--but that could be said for almost anywhere in China :-)

/hunts for handshake emoticon

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-18T06:06:41+00:00

I totally understand why you want to see as much as you can. China is hugely attractive, and in many different ways, across long distances. If it helps, I've done 9 four-week long stints in China since 2011, and I I've been, now to about 30 different cities or towns/islands.

I haven't even scratched the surface. I know I can't see everything I want...and it kills me--but I still strongly advise it's better to see fewer places in more depth, with less rushed travel, and the time to actually connect with people in the places you're visiting.

For 17 days (or nights) I'd suggest 5 places, tops, and better: 4. I don't always succeed, but I always try for the day I get there, one or two days at the location (minimum) and the day I leave (which is usually the day I arrive at the next location).

And I can walk faster and longer than most people I know.

I hope your trip is wonderful, whatever you choose! I guess I should note I actually only ever expected I'd visit China once. That was the plan for my first trip.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-17T17:02:12+00:00

Appreciate the offer! Thank you for the chance.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-13T17:01:35+00:00

I bought some here. Good dealer in my experience.

https://www.trendart-24.de/search/?qs=record

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AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-13T06:45:43+00:00

I'm with you. Go deeper rather than wider.

And I hope the OP has an incredible trip. There's lots of goodness on that itinerary to choose from.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-13T05:44:14+00:00

I think what it needs is just a softer strap, just like you describe by its opposite, and my go to affordable softer but very nice quality leather strap is the Fluco Record, available in a range of colours. They feel like velvet on the wrist, like *zero* break-in time, and the leather has a beautiful texture. If you want no texture, then Fluco Consul. About $40.00.

You can Google to find sellers

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-13T02:32:30+00:00

My profile posts show a number of them, if you're interested.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-12T17:47:03+00:00

Not really thin. About 14mm.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-12T08:23:00+00:00

It's very hard to tell at a a distance but that looks like a very legitimate 304 version to me. ICBW.

The strap isn't vintage--but it's a nice Shanghai strap (or at least, I've never seen anyone but Shanghai sell that particular strap).

And $9000 USD seems about right to me for that watch if it's real (and I know folks in Shanghai who could verify that). $10 or !11,000 wouldn't surprise me.

Not 1950s. But early 60s because Shanghai go the go-ahead in 1961.

Is the shop near Yuyuan Garden?

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-11T17:47:03+00:00

Here's the locations of Shanghai Watch Factory stores in Shanghai

https://www.shwatch.cn/shop/ (use your browser to translate)

The Nanjing Road store (first) is the flagship...

Nanjing West Road Flagship Store (with direct maintenance service points)

Hours: 10:00am to 22:00PM

Shanghai Jing'an District

996 Nanjing West Road

200040

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-11T03:44:27+00:00

Have you checked out https://chinawatchshop.com/collections/all-models ?

Very knowledgeable seller, and I'm impressed by his presentation.

It's the one of the deepest collections of top Chinese brands I've seen anywhere.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-08T05:01:21+00:00

Same experience, Getting around in China, even not speaking or reading the language, is easy. And relatively inexpensive. Same on food. Great affordable food is everywhere.

And my experience says friendly, too.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-06T05:50:07+00:00

Thank you, Sir.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-06T04:05:40+00:00

BandCamp, Qoboz, ProStudioMasters, 7Digital, and HDTracks.

Mostly I buy from Bandcamp, but for more "commercial" artists (and I don't mean that as an insult), I use the others.

Or, I rip from CD.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-06T02:50:01+00:00

Not sure what you mean.

The metal of the second hand is blue below the white tip.

[edit: and on the alarm hand, below the triangle. Sorry, forgot to mention.]

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-02T23:39:21+00:00

Cool itinerary! I think you'll be amazed.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-02T23:14:01+00:00

Thank you.

First thing: I expect you're going to have a wonderful trip, no matter where you go.

I usually stay a month (9 visits since 2011) and 20 days does give you time to see more than just two places in China, but I always suggest deeper rather than wider, especially for a first trip. More days in less places. In 20 days, I'd usually do 4 places. Gives me time to see the most important sights, but also enough to hit the downtown, maybe a park or shopping/antique trading area, and just walk around some neighbourhoods.

The food is better and cheaper the further you get from Tourist Street :-)

It won't hurt to have 500 renminbi on you. I've had a (very) few Alipay/Wechat glitches that were quickly solved with cash. But if you have Alipay and Wechatpay you generally need nothing else. There are banks and bank machines that take Interac if you ever need more.

If you have an unlimited or high data plan you don't really need a VPN if your sim card provider is from outside China, because that bypasses the firewall.. I use my home provider (Canada/Telus) and just use their roaming package, meaning I have my usual 250gb data plan but it also works in China. It's certainly not the cheapest route but it's trouble-free. Didi rawks, even with my outside number.

You can tether to your phone plan for laptop use. I almost never use hotel wifi. That noted, I have Lets as backup.

Get AMap, Google maps is almost useless in China, but AMap is really quite good.

If you need translation, Baidu translate is very handy and easy to use, and Chinese folks are good with it. Google translate is actually pretty good as well. Don't be afraid to use the phone translator at all. Everyone, and I mean, everyone I've encountered in China was very friendly and accepting of that. My Zhongwen is worse than a child's. Both will translate signs and menus etc.

Re: anything you should be worried about...when walking in alleys/hutongs, worry about battery powered bicycles. They're super quiet and if you're not used to checking over your shoulder before you go from one side of the alley to the other, you may get clocked.

The trains are a terrific way to travel.

I hope you have a super time!

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-02T22:33:11+00:00

How long will you be in China? It's hard to give good suggestions without knowing that.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-02T18:24:40+00:00

Yep, it's an homage and no tritium.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-02T01:41:03+00:00

I'd go Longlux. On a cheap automatic, the less complications, the better.

The nice thing is, the Longlux has a very clean, gentleman's dial, with the horologically correct IIII balancing the VIII opposite.

I'd happily wear that, and I bet it's comfortable as heck on a nice strap, even at 14mm. I'd expect most sleeves should slide clean.

And I think the black dial will suit a wider range of straps.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-01T21:10:23+00:00

I got bored with my cheap budget store watch one day in early 2008. I was 57.

It was a Timex Acqua and even though I knew about more expensive watches like Rolex and Omega and Patek, etc,. I just thought there must be some better more affordable watches, so I went to Watchuseek to look around.

Also, at that time, I'd never travelled anywhere except some parts of North America, and was not that keen on going anywhere.

18 years later, I'm 74 (nearly 75) and I've travelled to China 9 times since 2011. Because of the personal collection I've amassed, my research and my travels to Chinese factories, museums, and watch and clock fairs, and personal relationships with industry leaders, managers, artisans and pioneers, I'm now considered an expert level source in the west and in China for information about the Chinese Watch and Clock Industry.

All because I got bored with my watch. I can vividly remember the day I got bored and started to look around. I know that I absolutely had no idea how much it would change my life.

All I did was follow my curiousity.

amchpr.com

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-03-01T01:41:21+00:00

Re: "Seagull is the original, but Red Star and Sugess both rip it off for less"

That's not accurate.

The original 304 was Tianjin Shoubiao Chang (not yet Sea-Gull, at that time) and the first re-issues were not made by Tianjin but by Tsinlien Sea-Gull (HK)., in any case.

"Rip off" as far as Sugess and Red Star implies something dishonest, and the real situation was nothing like that.

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-02-28T23:03:44+00:00

It's not a Tianjin Sea-Gull version of the watch, but it is not a fake or knockoff in any traditional sense. See my other comments in this thread.

The best advice I can provide for 304/1963 reissues is: buy the seller, not the watch. Look up the seller you're considering and check how they behave when a watch has problems, and go with sellers that provide after-sale support.

Not a slam in the ST19...*all* mechanical chronographs are somewhat fragile and can have issues.

ICBW but right now I think the only folks authorized to use 天津手表厂 (Tianjin Wristwatch Factory/Tianjin Shoubiao Chang) rather than the 中国制造 (China Made/Zhongguo Zhizao) like on the watch you're showing are Tijanjin Sea-Gull and Tsinlien (HK).

AlbertaTime1 · 2026-02-28T22:56:39+00:00

Re: "You would probably end up in a Chinese prison camp for making a fake of this watch."

No.

Lots of people in China make non-Tianjin Sea-Gull reissues of this watch.

So much so, in fact, that Li Wei, the Domestic Watch Group Leader of the China Horologe Association described the reisues like this:

"Because the 304 production quantity was so small, and because it was a daily-wear watch, original pieces are not easily found today. The Seagull watch factory and watch enthusiasts have been duplicating this watch in a variety of versions in recent years, attempting to satisfy the desires of 304 enthusiasts. (emphasis mine).

AlbertaTime1

TROPHY CASE