I've just finished a tour from Hong Kong to Shanghai. I didn't use a chain or lock. When I went into a shop or restaurant I always sat near the door, facing my bike. Whenever possible I took the bike into my room when I didn't camp out. If it wasn't possible to take the bike to my room I took my camera, phone and cooker with me. Nothing was stolen during the trip. Shop keepers with accommodation rooms upstairs or small rural hotels closed their business after I went to bed and locked the doors, with my bike safely stored inside.

In the smaller towns and villages I went through, I received a lot of interest from locals who would gather around and look at my bike, gear, me etc. People seemed to keep an eye on each other. I felt safe that a thief wouldn't try to take something from my bike with a group of people standing around. And the bike itself was never (during the day) more than a few metres away from me. I would feel less safe locking it outside an urban Australian shopping centre and going inside for a few minutes than leaving it unsecured in rural china.
Enjoy your trip!