There was an old saying in Beijing, “Ma Ju Yuan on head, Nei Lian Sheng on feet, Rui Fu Xiang on body and Si Da Heng in pocket,” which vividly reflected the relationship of old brands with people in Beijing.
The old brand was not only a witness to history and culture but also a treasure of the Chinese nation. Sadly the future of these old brands is not as bright as was once expected.
According to statistics there were 16000 old brand stores in China in 1949, in such varied industries as catering, medicine, food, retail, tobacco, alcohol and garments. Due to a multitude of reasons, many old brands went into bankruptcy one after the other. Since 1990, the number has shrunk to 1600, just 10 percent of 1949’s number.
As the rent of the Qianmen shopping area has gone through the roof, these old brands are facing the dilemma that they will be forced to move out from their original location. Whether these old brands can successfully return to the Qianmen Street where the old shops once gathered together has drawn wide attention.
According to the Zhang Jian, vice secretary-general of the committee of Chinese old brands, the focus of the controversy is that some local departments and businessmen haven’t realized the importance of the old brands and the role they play towards invigorating the national economy and the passing down ofbusiness culture.
Fortunately, Qianmen’s previously displaced business owners are now startingto realize the importance of protecting both their shops and brands.
Zhang Jiang appealed that the founders of Qianmen Street could put their attention on tourism profits, because old brands can reproduce the ancient street feel of Qianmen and their potential value would go far beyond the revenue of such corporations and local government.
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