Prequel of Time-Honored Brands

Name: Prequel of Time-Honored Brands
ISBN: 9787547736883

赵敏Beijing Daily Press · ChinaSep 2026

3.7

Word count: 81K words
Chapters: 36
ISBN: 9787547736883

Report an error Find this book

Summary

This book captures memorable episodes from the century-long heritage of Beijing time-honored brands such as Tongrentang, Ruifuxiang, Majuyuan, and Neiliansheng. In an era when merchants still had to strive for social standing, generations of these merchant families preserved and passed down their craft, producing one vivid family chronicle after another—and woven together, these family histories form the story of old Beijing's civilizational inheritance.

Editor's review

Old Brands: The Backstory offers a rare, insider's view into the storied history of China's time-honored brands through the distinctive lens of Zhao Min, a veteran journalist at Beijing Daily Press. More than a mere compilation of business history, the book draws on rigorous archival research and vivid storytelling to delve into the formative years, family secrets, and pivotal choices of dozens of renowned old brands such as Quanjude, Tongrentang, and Ruifuxiang. Drawing on years of reporting on urban culture and commerce, Zhao Min weaves together archival documents, oral histories, and field visits, painting a sweeping picture of how grassroots commercial ingenuity took root, struggled, and ultimately forged golden reputations amid the dramatic transformation of modern Chinese society. Its value lies in moving beyond surface-level brand legends to the core of China's traditional commercial civilization—integrity, craftsmanship, and family ethics—offering invaluable historical lessons for contemporary entrepreneurs and brand managers. The writing is grounded yet warm, combining archival depth with keen human insight, making a business history read with the power of an epic.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers and researchers interested in Chinese business and economic history
Practitioners and entrepreneurs in brand management and marketing seeking historical wisdom
Those with a strong interest in Beijing's urban culture and folk customs
Readers who enjoy narrative nonfiction grounded in solid historical research

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or quick, shallow reading
Readers expecting concrete modern management methodologies or practical techniques

Reading tips

Reading in chapter order is recommended; use a map to explore the old brand sites described and compare past and present
Pay attention to the critical choices and enduring values of different founders amid changing times
Read alongside works on modern Chinese history to deepen understanding of the interplay between business and society

About the publisher

Beijing Daily Press China · Founded in 1981

Beijing Daily Press takes world history, historical reading and foreign literary translations as important publishing directions, alongside science fiction and prose. Its catalogue includes Edward Gibbon's unabridged The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gu Cheng's Southern Ming History and his works on Ming history, reflecting a balance between general and dynastic history; in literature there are Fu Lei's translations of Balzac and of world classics, as well as science fiction and prose such as The Universe Omnipotent Detective Agency, A Canticle for Leibowitz and The Peregrine, with authors ranging from Gibbon, Gu Cheng and Balzac to Fu Lei, Romain Rolland and Douglas Adams. Building on current affairs, history and culture, Beijing-flavoured culture and children's books, the press combines classic translation with original historical writing, emphasising complete editions and translation quality. Public information is limited, so other details are omitted.

版权信息
前言
游方郎中的逆袭
老树发新枝
龙骨奇遇
营销奇才康伯卿
有钱就买前门楼子
从搭档到对手
不蒸馒头争口气
茉莉花茶仙子
门洞里的茶铺
一元开店
脚病治疗“一招鲜”
金鸡未唱汤先热
从剃头匠到理发师
消失的鼻烟
八宝印泥
乾隆御赐字号
逐鹿大栅栏
大势已去的孟觐侯
女掌门人
高贵的布
从坐轿人到抬轿人
兄弟同心
头等大事
挑货郎的逆袭
第一部国产电影
二亨之争
放眼世界
乐善好施张寡妇
近墨者黑
绝处逢生
金蝉脱壳
百年老店的生死线
从镊子张到刻刀张
真假麻子

FAQ

How is this book different from other books about time-honored brands?

This book focuses on the "backstory"—the critical formative period from each brand's founding to its rise to fame—delving into the hardships of its early days, family feuds, and the development of core craftsmanship. It offers greater historical depth and density of detail than a general collection of brand stories.

How historically credible is the content?

The author, Zhao Min, is a veteran media professional whose writing draws on the Beijing Municipal Archives, corporate records, family documents, and a large body of scholarly research, cross-checked against multiple oral histories. The book strikes a good balance between scholarly rigor and narrative readability.

Will readers outside Beijing be interested in this book?

Although most cases are Beijing-based old brands, the traditional business logic, patterns of brand building, and the intertwining of national destiny with individual enterprise have significance beyond any one region. Anyone interested in China's traditional commercial civilization will find inspiration here.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

赵敏 Author

Only limited public information is available about Zhao Min, and no systematic record of his identity or career has yet been found. Still, the eighteen works collected here sketch the breadth of his writing. He moves across medicine, culture, social fiction, language and writing, popular science, and examination preparation: there are medical reference books for clinical practice such as A Clinical Guide to the Use of Sedative-Hypnotics; popular readers on Beijing's local life and culture, including the five-volume Old Beijing Is Interesting, The Story of Time-Honored Brands, A Record of Beijing Flavors, and Master Skills Hidden in the Market; a novel, Meeting with a Plain Face; a study of dialect grammar, Research on the Lexical and Morphological Features of the Yishui Dialect in Shandong; and a work of popular science, Footprints of Physics. On the whole, he spans both the professional and the popular, writing in a practical style that values readability and usefulness.