In the past, some Beijing people showcased their high social status with commodities from famous brand name stores, most of which were located around Qianmen area. Majuyuan was famous for making hats and it was founded in 1817. Neiliansheng, founded in 1853, was renown for high quality shoes. The Eight Xiang"s refer to stores selling cloth and silk and they all had the word "xiang " (auspiciousness) in their names: Ruilinxiang, Qianxiangyi, Ruishengxiang, Ruifuxiang, Yihexiang, Ruizengxiang, Ruichengxiang and Guangshengxiang. Sadly, Ruifuxiang is the only one still in business. The Four Heng"s refer to old banking houses whose names all began with "heng " (everlasting): Hengli, Henghe, Hengxing and Hengyuan. A typical well-off old Beijing resident would be proud to wear a hat from Majuyuan, don clothes from the Eight Xiang"s, walk in shoes from Neiliansheng, with banknotes from the Four Heng"s tucked in his waist.
Tongrentang
Perhaps the most famous name for traditional Chinese medicine, Tongrentang was founded in 1669 and made pills, powder, ointment and pellet of its own prescriptions. Since it was founded, the generations of owners always adhered to the motto of "never omitting even one of the complicated procedures, never reducing any bit of the expensive materials". In 1723 of Emperor Yongzheng"s rule, Tongrentang began supplying medicine for the imperial court. It served eight emperors in a period of 188 years. Today, the many branches of Tongrentang still attract customers with self-made medicines of high quality.
Donglaishun
In the past, many Muslim restaurants serving mutton hotpots had the word "shun" (smooth) in their names: Donglaishun, Xilaishun, Nanlaishun and Youyishun. In the early 1910s, Donglaishun had established its fame with tender meat and carefully prepared seasoning.
Eight Ju"s
"Ju " is a traditional word for restaurant. There were eight famous restaurants in Beijing that all had the word "ju " in their names: Shaguoju, Tianxingju, Tian ran ju , Ding he ju , Gu angheju , Tongheju, Yishengju and Huixianju. The most famous one was Shaguoju, which opened in 1741 at Gangwashi of Xisi South Street. Its name comes from a huge pottery pot that measured 1 m deep and 1.3 m in diameter. The restaurant used the pot to prepare delicious meat of the northern Chinese flavor.
Paraphernalia of the study (Rongbaozhai, Daiyuexuan, Boguzhai,Wenkuitang)
Rongbaozhai is located on the Liulichang West Street and deals with books and paintings. It has a history of over 300 years. Daiyuexuan lies on the Liulichang East Street, focusing on writing brush of Huzhou, Zhejiang Province and inkslab of Huizhou, Anhui Province. Boguzhai was founded in 1850 by Zhu Jinfan and deals with paper for calligraphy and painting. Wenkuitang"s history can be dated back to 1881. It collects, prints and sells ancient classics, especially their original and precious copies.
Quanjude Roast Duck
Founded in 1864, Quanjude deviated from the traditional way of preparing roast duck. The chefs will send the duck to the customer with a small cart and display the dazzling techniques in slicing the meat. Each duck must produce at least 120 slices, each piece carrying both skin and meat with fat and lean parts.
Kaorouji and Kaorouwan
