The stories of several classic Chinese century-old stores
Abstract: Time-honored brands represent traditional Chinese culture, and the survival and development of time-honored brands are related to the inheritance and development of traditional culture. By digging out their historical stories, more people can learn about time-honored brands and feel the charm and value of these enduring names. This is a way for us to protect and inherit time-honored brands. Next, the editor will introduce to you the stories of several classic Chinese century-old stores. The story of a century-old shop, the story of a Chinese time-honored brand, the story of several classic Chinese century-old shops
The stories of several classic Chinese century-old shops
1. Quanjude Roast Duck---- It caused hundreds of heads of state to bend their backs
"Quanjude" was built in 1864 (the third year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty). The founder is Yang Shoushan, courtesy name Quanren, who was born in Yangjiazhai, Jixian County, Hebei Province. In the early years of Xianfeng's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Yang Shoushan, a smart and hard-working man, went to Beijing and started trading chickens and ducks. After I had accumulated a certain amount of savings, I bought the "Dejuquan" shop selling dried and fresh fruits that was on the verge of closing down on Qianmen Street. I followed the Feng Shui master's advice and changed its name to Quanjude. At that time, the business of Bianyifang in Mishi Hutong was booming, and the braised oven roast duck was very popular. Demand exceeds supply. Yang then wanted to roast a duck in the same way as a pig. After many experiments, the hanging oven roast duck finally succeeded. Its color, aroma and taste are all inferior to those of braised roast duck. After more than ten years of operation, it developed into a famous restaurant in Beijing during the Xuantong and Republic of China years.
The three words "Quanjude" have two main meanings: firstly, the word "Quan" represents Yang Quanren himself; secondly, "Jude" means to gather virtues and flaunt that Yang Quanren himself is virtuous in doing business. He invited Qian Zilong, a scholar who was very accomplished in calligraphy, to write three powerful, bold and eye-catching characters "Quan Ju De", and made a gold plaque to hang on the lintel.
Roast duck is the main variety of Quanjude. From duck selection, feeding, slaughtering to barbecue, everything is meticulous. The Beijing stuffed ducks selected by Quanjude must be raised for less than 100 days and weigh more than five kilograms before they can be slaughtered. After the duck is slaughtered and its feathers removed, dig a small hole under the duck's right arm. From the small hole, insert two fingers to take out the duck's internal organs. Then wash the duck inside and out with clean water, and blow off the duck skin with your mouth. To make a drum, insert a section of straw into the duck's tail, pour water through the hole under the duck's shoulder, and sew the hole shut with silk thread. After everything is ready, the duck is hung on the hook and roasted in the oven. In this way, the outside is roasted and the inside is cooked. The duck comes out of the oven with a buttery yellow color on the outside. When people eat it, the duck meat is fresh and tender, the meat is fat but not greasy, and it is delicious and sweet, making people never tire of eating it.
After Yang Shoushan's death, his son Yang Qingchang and three other brothers continued to run Quanjude. Opened the No. 1 Quanjude branch in Nanshi, Tianjin. Since then, Quanjude Roast Duck has become famous all over Beijing and Tianjin, and has become famous overseas. "If you don't visit the Great Wall, you are not a true man. It would be a pity not to eat roast duck." This is a tribute from foreign guests, such as Gary, Nicoson, Heath, Toshiki Kaifu, Heads of state, heads of state, prime ministers and officials from nearly 200 countries and regions, including Lee Kuan Yew, Raj Gandhi, Prince Sihanouk, etc., have all visited Quanjude, which has long enjoyed a high reputation.
2. Wuliangye Liquor - Six Hundred Years of Cellars Leave a New Fragrance
Since ancient times, "Wuliangye" has been one of the most famous representatives of Sichuan Guiduo's fine wines. Yibin, Sichuan is the hometown of Wuliangye liquor, and the history of brewing Wuliangye liquor can be traced back to more than a thousand years.
According to legend, wine-making was popular in Yibin as early as the Han Dynasty. Du Fu, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, went to Rongzhou (today's Yibin, Sichuan) in the first year of Yongtai (765 AD) and wrote "Yang Envoy in Rongzhou at a Banquet" In the poem "Jundong Tower", there is a line that "heavy green cattle and green wine, light red arm lychees". The "Chongbi Wine" and "Lychee Green" produced at that time were both famous wines in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Wuliangye's original name is miscellaneous grain wine. It is said that it was founded in the Ming Dynasty, and the wine kiln used to brew it today is a relic of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, it was imitated the production method of Lychee Green, a famous wine from the Song Dynasty, and was brewed with a variety of grains. It has been continuously improved and developed through generations.
In the early Ming Dynasty, a boss named Chen in Yibin, Sichuan founded the "Wende Yang" winery. He devoted himself to research and discovered the formula of multigrain wine, which was passed down to six generations. In the Qing Dynasty, Chen San, the last generation of the Chen family, dictated the "secret recipe" to his apprentice Zhao Mingsheng. Before Zhao died in 1915, he passed on the "secret recipe" to his apprentice Deng Zijun. Deng made several adjustments based on his "secret recipe" and determined a new formula.
In 1929, Lei Dongyuan, director of the Youth League Training Bureau of Yibin County, held a family banquet one day. He used grain wine during the dinner, which was praised by the whole house. Yang Huiquan, who was sitting here, said: It seems vulgar for such a fine wine to be called grain wine. This wine combines the essence of five grains to form jade liquid. Why not change its name to "Wuliangye"? From then on, Deng Zijun changed the name of the multigrain wine he prepared to "Wuliangye".
This is why "Wuliangye" got its name. In 1915, at the Panama International Exposition, goods from all over the world were beautifully packaged and dazzling. In front of the booth of "Lichuandong" Trading Company in Shanghai, there were only some earthenware pots produced on the banks of the Yangtze River. The crude and ugly appearance of the earthenware pots made everyone sneer. Seeing that the sale was difficult to complete, a businessman from the "Lichuan East" trading house opened a clay pot in a hurry, and the aroma instantly filled his nostrils. Visitors stopped to watch and saw that the jade liquid in the pot was crystal clear and had a sweet fragrance in the mouth. The fragrance remains on the teeth and cheeks, and the aftertaste is endless. Everyone who drinks it is full of praise and will never forget the reputation of "Chinese Wuliangye". It was this businessman's accidental move that made Wuliangye famous all over the world, won the Panama Gold Medal in one fell swoop, and became an international brand of the Chinese nation.
To celebrate Wuliangye’s winning of the Panama International Gold Medal, “Lichuandong” Trading Company also specially made a plaque edged with colored glass and presented it to Deng Zijun, the successor of Wuliangye, with the message “Famous in China”. Since then, "Wuliangye" has won many international and domestic gold medals and the reputation of famous wine, and has achieved 80 years of glorious gold medals. It is worthy of being called the sacred wine of China.
What is even more amazing is that the Ming Dynasty underground wine cellar fermentation tanks of Wuliangye Winery have been continuously used for more than 600 years. Maintenance has made it the only existing underground koji wine fermentation cellar in my country. Its microbial reproduction has never stopped, and these 16 ancient cellars of Wuliangye from the Ming Dynasty have been in use to this day. This is the treasure of Wuliangye Group and a miracle in the liquor industry!
3. Zhang Xiaoquan scissors-----Emperor Qianlong was also moved
“As fast as the wind and as smooth as oil, the steel has distinct varieties and thick, cutting the country into a beautiful scene, Hangzhou is not the only one. "Bingzhou." This is a hymn written by Tian Han, a famous Chinese playwright, when he visited Zhang Xiaoquan Scissor Factory in 1966. It talks about the characteristics of Zhang Xiaoquan's scissors: "sharp cutting, smooth opening and closing, and easy feel".
The production of Zhang Xiaoquan scissors has a history of more than 340 years and has been famous since the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. Zhang Xiaoquan's father, Zhang Sijia, studied art in Wuhu, which is famous for its "three swords", and later opened Zhang Dalong's "Scissors Shop" on the edge of Yi County, with a front store and a home. Zhang Sijia is serious about his work. The scissors he polishes are tough and sharp and are highly praised by people. Under his father's careful guidance and his own continuous practice, Koizumi also developed a good skill in making scissors. When the Qing troops entered the country, his father and son fled to Hangzhou and opened the "Zhang Dalong" scissors workshop in Dajing Alley at the foot of Wushan Mountain, where they studied casting techniques carefully. The "steel-embedded" process was used in making scissors. This changed from the conventional method of using pig iron to forge scissors. Steel from Longquan and Yunhe, Zhejiang, was used. Zhenjiang specialty mud was also used to carefully grind the scissors. The light shines and business is particularly prosperous. After Zhang Xiaoquan inherited his father's business, due to his careful production and high quality, and because he was located in the Qinghefang area, which is the commercial center of Hangzhou, the business prospered and the market profit was tenfold. In the second year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1663), in order to prevent others from selling scissors under Zhang Dalong's sign, he changed the sign to his own name "Zhang Xiaoquan".
It is said that when Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty went to Hangzhou for the second time, he dressed up in disguise, mingled with pilgrims, and strolled up the mountain for a tour. Just when the fun of traveling was in full swing, but God was not kind to him, it started to rain suddenly, so he had to go down the mountain to find a house to take shelter from the rain. In a hurry, he walked into a workshop with a signboard that read "Ancestral Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors". Qianlong was curious, so he took a pair of scissors and took a look. He saw a cold light flashing and they were extremely sharp, so he bought one and took it back to the palace. He loved this pair of scissors as intrauterine scissors. From then on, Zhang Xiaoquan's scissors became famous, and there were as many as 86 scissors manufacturers using the "Zhang Xiaoquan" brand name. There was a grand scene of "green mountains reflect the blue lake, and small springs fill the streets."
4. Wu Yutai Tea House-----Passionate Scholars Generate Good Stories
Wu Yutai Tea House was founded in 1887 (the 13th year of Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty). Its founder, Wu Xiqing, A native of Changxi Village, She County, Anhui Province. Back then, Wu Xiqing followed a judge to Beijing for an examination, and took some tea with him when he went out. When he arrived in Beijing, the judge was busy taking the exam. Mr. Wu had more free time, and gradually became familiar with the Beijingers around his residence. To thank his neighbors for taking care of them, he gave them the tea he brought from home. Unexpectedly, these people were full of praise after drinking these teas, and tried their best to persuade Mr. Wu to set up a stall to sell tea. A few days later, Wu Xiqing set up a tea stall in a gate on the east side of Beixinqiao Street Road, and the tea was sold out within a few days.
The attentive Wu Xiqing discovered that in the inner city, where Manchus and Han people live most densely, people, rich or poor, high or low, like to drink tea regardless of anything. After failing the exam, you have to stay in Beijing to study hard and wait for the next semester to take the exam again. He sent Mr. Wu back to his hometown in She County to get some silver coins for him. Mr. Wu returned to his hometown, worked hard, and brought back as much tea as he could, and officially started the tea business in Beijing.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Mr. Wu, the founder of Wu Yutai, expanded the teahouse business and opened more than ten stores under the name "Wu Yutai". Before his death, Mr. Wu divided all his property into five equal parts, wrote five notes respectively, and asked his five sons to draw lots. Whoever caught the prize would get that share of the property. It happened that the five sons were in the right order from oldest to youngest. "Benevolence", "righteousness", "propriety", "wisdom" and "faithfulness" were captured. So the three brothers, the fourth, fifth and sixth brothers, discussed remerging the stores, houses and other properties they had received, so that they could live together and run businesses together. ".
For more than a hundred years, it may be as thick as a page in a history textbook, but for "Wu Yutai", it is the dedication and pursuit of several generations. A hundred years ago, Beijingers will say: "There is a teahouse in Beixinqiao owned by an Anhui man called Wu Yutai. "A hundred years later, Beijingers will say: "Wu Yutai tea is a necessity for people's lives."
5. Tongrentang Pharmacy-----The government takes the lead in cracking down on plum ghosts
Tongrentang was founded during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. The exact date cannot be verified, but it was no later than 1669. The founder of Tongrentang was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang. His ancestors came to Beijing as early as the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, and they practiced medicine for several generations. In the early Qing Dynasty, Le Zunyu, a descendant of the Le family, entered Rentai Hospital and served as an official. He was determined to improve the quality of traditional Chinese medicine, so he opened a pharmaceutical workshop in the polishing factory outside Qianmen, and later " "Lejia Old Store" was renamed "Tongrentang".
Le Zunyu's son Lewugang failed the rural examination in the 14th year of Kangxi, so he inherited his father's business and opened Tongrentang Pharmacy in Dashilar. There is a store in front of Tongrentang, and a store in the back. It is a workshop that makes its own medicines and sells them. Because Tong Ren Tang always pays attention to the quality of medicinal materials and adheres to the promise of "no matter how complicated the preparation is, we must not save labor; no matter how expensive the taste is, we must not save material resources", Tong Ren Tang's proprietary Chinese medicines have always had a good reputation in the market. High.
Since the first year of Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty, Tongrentang has been providing traditional Chinese medicine to the imperial pharmacy of the Qing Dynasty. Even the medicines taken by the emperor and concubines were made by Tongrentang. In this way, Tongrentang received funding from the imperial court. Strong support, sometimes the funds allocated to Tongrentang by the Qing Palace were enough to last for several years. Tongrentang would provide medicines for the palace many times, and the imperial hospital would first notify the emperor, and then issue an imperial edict to all parts of the country, ordering generals in various places to provide medicines. Tongrentang often purchased high-quality medicinal materials under the banner of the imperial court, putting other pharmacies at a disadvantage in the competition.
Due to Tongrentang's great reputation, some businessmen from other places also bought high-quality medicinal materials. The name of the pharmacy was changed to "Tongrentang". During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi years, the government issued a special notice stating that anyone who opened a pharmacy under the name of Tongrentang would be punished. Indeed, some pharmacies were closed down and the store owners were paraded through the streets for three days. In the old days when there were no economic laws, it was very rare for the government to mobilize so much for a store.