Old Brand in Memory

Guishunzhai
Guishunzhai is the name of Tianjin's most famous Muslim bakery. It was originally opened in 1924 to supplement the meals of Tianjin's then bustling Muslim population but its breads, sweets and pastries soon found its way into the staples of other city residents. Among its famous and best-selling pastries are `Saqima', the `Sweet Fried Twist', `Migong' and `Paicha'.
The Guishunzhai bakery gained even more prominence when it was discovered that the Great Master of Beijing Opera, Ma Lianliang as well as the eminent performer, Ma Sanli were great fans of the bakery's cakes and pastries. In fact the bakery became so popular that after the Chinese liberation in 1949, the bakery expanded to include two baking rooms and three more shop outlets.

However in 1981, the two workrooms were conbined and the Guishunzhai cake factory was founded. Now Guishunzhai was well-established as a popular brand name and was well-known for its seven types of cake and pastries. In addition to the Muslim cakes, the bakery also sells cheese and low-sugar foods.

Shengxifu
Very few people in Tianjin are aware of the origins of the Shengxifu cap although the Shengxifu name has become a leading Chinese brand name, known for its high quality products. The Shengxifu company was actually founded in Tianjin in 1911 by Liu Xisan, a migrant from the Shandong Province. Liu first opened a shop, the `Shengjufu cap shop' on Guyi Street in Tianjin. In 1925 he moved his shop to the French Concession area (today's Heping Road) and renamed `Shengxifu'.

In that time, the "three cap" logo was born and later became to represent this famous CHinese brand name.

Darentang
The Darentang drugstore is another old shop in Tianjin, with an interesting history. It was founded in 1914 by owner of the Beijing Tongrentan drugstore. It was formerly at the west of the north Gate, and later moved to 119 Binjiang Road. Because it was the branch of "Le Family Old Shop" of Beijing Tongrentang, it carried on the tradition of Tongrentang. The drugs continued to be brought from Beijing until the Darentang Drug Factory was established in 1916 on Zhongshan Road. Its drugs the `Bezoar Ball' and the `Angong Bezoar Ball' are a famous Darentang product. After liberation, the factory was extended and many advanced equipments were introduced.

Ruifuxiang
The Ruifuxiang shop was one of the eight `silk and satin' shops, founded by the Meng Family from Shandong. It was first opened in 1908 on Zhugan Lane of the North Gate in Tianjin. Later many branches were established in Guodian Street and Guyi Street, and Ruifuxiang became a famous name in Tianjin. Ruifuxiang was famous for its large interior and interesting history. One of its special characteristics was its `old style' design, which came to represent the Ruifuxiang shops. However because of their popularity, imitation products became appearing on the market with the "Ruifuxiang" name. In 1986, "Ruifuxiang" was reopened in Guyi Street. There are 1,940 different kinds of authentic "Ruifuxiang" products.

Qianxiangyi
Qianxiangyi is a `silk and satin' shop which has 80 years of history. It was one of the `Xiang' brands which was founded by the Meng Family from Shandong. The Tianjin Branch was established in 1917 on Guyi Street. In the mid 1930's, another branch was opened in the French concession area. The Qianxiangyi shop was famous for its variety of materials and their attendants' good service.They displayed the price clearly, had a ``buy ten, get one free'' promotion and offered free delivery. After liberation (1950s) the Qianxiangyi brand disappeared, only to be restablished in the 1980s, after China opened its doors to the rest of the world.