What is the history and culture of Rong Baozhai, an old Beijing cultural brand?

Rong Baozhai is a famous cultural time-honored brand at home and abroad with a long history of more than 300 years. Rong Baozhai, located in Liulichang West Street outside Heping Gate, Beijing, is a tall antique building full of classical flavor.

Rong Baozhai, formerly known as Songzhuzhai, was founded in the 11th year of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty (AD 1672). The founder of Songzhuzhai is Zhang, a native of Zhejiang, who initially opened a small Nanzhi shop. The business scope of the paper shop is mainly divided into three parts: first, the paper for painting and calligraphy, as well as various plates and happy birthday screens; Second, all kinds of pens, inks, inkstones, ink cartridges, water bowls, inkpad, weighing scale, pen containers and other stationery; The third is to order the commercial works of calligraphy and painting seal engravers on behalf of customers, and get a certain percentage of commission from them.

The business of Songzhuzhai used to be very prosperous, but the store advocated poor management and did not ask for business, which led to the business getting worse every day. Especially after the Opium War, the business of Songzhuzhai was very bleak. Later, the store hired Zhuang Huchen, a well-known scholar in Shi Jing, as the manager, and changed the name of the store to Rong Baozhai on 1894, meaning "friendship with literature, honor is treasure", and asked Lu Runxiang, a famous calligrapher at that time, to write a large-character plaque of "Rong Baozhai". After this adjustment, Rong Baozhai's business is getting better and better, and it is famous among many Nanzhi stores in Beijing.

As a time-honored brand of Beijing culture, Rong Baozhai has collected many research treasures, including the Bai Zi clay model in Cheng Junfang in Ming Dynasty, the multicolored golden pen, court paper and crystal inkpad box in Qing Dynasty, and the heaviest Huangtian stone in the world, weighing 4,275 grams.

Rong Baozhai pays attention to the collection of calligraphy and painting treasures in commercial activities, and is known as the "Folk Forbidden City". Indeed, while running business, Rong Baozhai also collected many ancient treasures, including the works of Zhenwu and Sheng Mao in Yuan Dynasty, the works of Xu Wei, Chen Daofu, Chen Hongshou and Dong Qichang in Ming Sijia in Ming Dynasty, and the works of Shi Tao, "Four Kings" and "Eight Eccentrics in Yangzhou" in Qing Dynasty.

Rong Baozhai's paintings and calligraphy are of high quality, incorporating famous works, and will never make up for them with fakes and inferior works; Rong Baozhai's Four Treasures of the Study is also a famous product. Because they abide by the business policy of "honesty-based, genuine goods", they have gained social recognition and people's trust.

Rong Baozhai also made outstanding contributions to the development of traditional block printing. At the same time, they inherited the traditional woodblock printing, improved the woodcut watermark, and the watermark technology is also well-known overseas. After several generations' efforts, Rong Baozhai has made great contributions to the inheritance of traditional culture and the development of traditional skills in China.

As a time-honored cultural brand, Rong Baozhai has always been associated with the traditional culture of China. Every generation of Rong Baozhai people have been adhering to the tenet of "taking literature as their friend and taking name as their priority", never forgetting their social responsibilities, and striving to carry forward the traditional culture of China.