After several changes of owners, only one person is left in the century-old store to "support" the storefront
It moved four times, and finally settled at the Chinese time-honored brand at the intersection of Hankou Road and Fujian Road in Shanghai——" "Wang Xing Ji Fan Shop", now only a few scattered fans are left in the narrow counter, and the last salesperson is left. Will the "Wang Xing Ji" Shanzhuang, which was founded more than 130 years ago and has a history of nearly 70 years in Shanghai, "end its curtain"?
In May last year, the "Yiwu Alliance", a consortium of several Yiwu private enterprises led by Zhejiang Fuyue Holding Group Co., Ltd., controlled the parent company of "Wang Xingji" Shanzhuang with a total market value of 85 million yuan. ——90% of the shares of Shanghai Miramar (Group), while Shanghai New World Group, the original parent unit of Miramar, retains 10% of the shares of the new company ("Hangzhou Bay News" reported on May 27 last year). After Miramar changed ownership, some of its time-honored stores are actively recruiting for rent: located at the intersection of Shandong Road and Fuzhou, part of the Shanghai Instrument Store formerly owned by Miramar has quietly changed its face to Ke Convenience, a cloth shoe store and a store without store signs. The gift shop at the intersection of Hankou Road and Fujian Road has also had its bronze characters of "Miramar Gift Company·Wang Xingji Fanzhuang" taken down, but only the faded banner of "Century-old store, showing new looks" remains in place. . In the store of more than 200 square meters, through the rolling shutter door, you can see a messy scene just after the "big retreat". Next to it, there is still a shop of more than 20 square meters with lights on, and the new store "Miramar Gift Company" written on it is recruiting, and two salespeople, a man and a woman, are still "staying behind."
The two people left behind said that the "Miramar Gift Company", which now has only one storefront, is run by three of their old employees. "It has nothing to do with Miramar. The two of them make gifts." Business, there is only one person left in ‘Wang Xing Ji’.” They also said that three people contracted this store, and although they had to pay the "Shanghai Miramar Company" 5,000 yuan in rent every month, which was "tight," "but we are really reluctant to leave, and it is too early to retire now." The clerk revealed that some of the other time-honored brands under the original Miramar have already been contracted out, and "the relationship with the new company is just to pay the rent of the house."
Like all "Chinese time-honored brands", "Wang Xingji" has unlimited glory in history. Before 1994, "Wang Xingji" Shanzhuang had three floors and more than 20 salespeople on Nanjing Road. Today, where will "King Xing Ji", with only one salesperson left, go?
A Mr. Liu from the office of the reorganized Shanghai Miramar Company said that the "Wang Xing Ji" fan will definitely continue to be made, and the company is considering repackaging it. "Of course this will take some time," he explained - ——When the reorganization agreement was signed, the head of the “Yiwu Alliance” once said that in order to “marry” Miramar, in addition to its store resources, Miramar’s time-honored brands—Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors, HSBC Paper industry, Shanghai instrument store, Shanghai craft gifts, Miramar stationery, etc., the "Yiwu Alliance" ambitious plan is to use Yiwu's rich small commodity resources to connect with the brand advantages of time-honored brands, and it is not just a short-term behavior to collect rent - re- I hope it won’t take too long to polish up the time-honored brand, because branding is the continuous strengthening of memory.
Wang Xing’s fan shop is a typical example of the fan industry in Hangzhou.
The shop owner Wang Xingzhai is originally from Shaoxing and has lived in Hangzhou for a long time. The fan-making craft is a family tradition. In the first year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1875), Wang Xingzhai Fan Store was opened in Hangzhou. The couple set up their own workshop to make fans and won customers with their excellent selection of materials and exquisite production.
Wang Xingzhai was born into a family of fans. His grandfather and father were both craftsmen in the fan industry. Wang Xingzhai learned to make fans from his father since he was a child. While inheriting the craftsmanship of his father, he worked hard and became a famous sand grinder in Hangzhou's fan making industry in his 20s. After Wang Xingzhai became a master, he worked as a sand grinder in Qianbuji Fan Workshop in Sansheng Bridge, Hangzhou. Zhou Ye Wenlong nearby There is an applique fan making workshop opened by Chen Yizhai, which specializes in processing and making high-grade lacquered flower fans for the "Shu Lian Ji" old fan shop.
Chen Yizhai’s family are all experts in applique, which is a major process in processing lacquer fans. Chen Yizhai knew that Wang Xingzhai was good at craftsmanship and capable, so he recruited him as his son-in-law and betrothed his eldest daughter Chen Ying to him. Under the instruction of her father, Chen Ying was also good at making gold-illuminated fans, appliqués and sprinkles with gold.
After getting married, the family became a small workshop. The couple not only had traditional ancestral craftsmanship, but also were thrifty and hardworking. They carefully selected materials and made finely, and gradually accumulated some capital.
With the help of his father-in-law, he set up his own fan shop, selected some blanks, and the couple worked carefully to make some finished products for retail sale. At that time, there were not many workshops that could make such high-end flower fans, but Wang Xingzhai's fans were particularly exquisite, unique in style, sold quickly, and made good profits, so they developed rapidly. Around 1893, Wang Xingzhai opened a seasonal small fan shop in Shanghai City God Temple (later moved to Nanjing Road). In 1901, he opened a fan shop in Yangmeizhu Xiejie, Beijing. Wang Xingzhai's fans were sold as far away as Tianjin and Beijing. Rongbaozhai in Beijing and Hua Jincheng in Tianjin are long-term customers of Wangxingzhai. At this time, Wang Xingzhai's workshop in Hangzhou also moved to Zumiao Lane, employing 50 to 60 workers. Wang Xingji Fan Store, Zhang Ziyuan Fan Store and Shu Lianji Fan Store, which produce famous black and white fans, are also known as the three famous fans in Hangzhou. The gilded "full bucket" style flower fan made by Chen Ying, the wife of the king, has a unique style and was once selected as a "tribute fan". It was loved by officials, gentry and literati, so in the 27th year of Guangxu's reign, a shop was set up in Yangmeizhu Xiejie, Beijing. wholesale.
After Wang Xingzhai died of illness in Beijing, Chen Ying led her son Wang Ziqing to continue running the fan shop. In the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), a store was opened on Taipingfang Street in Hangzhou, renamed "Wang Xingji" and registered as the "Samsung" trademark. In the 26th year of the Republic of China, "Wang Xing Ji" moved from Hangzhou to Shanghai and launched women's fans made of sandalwood and silk. The silk surface depicts the scenery of the West Lake and is marked with "Xiling", "Shuangfeng" and "Jade Belt". "and other elegant names, selling well at home and abroad. Later, he purchased sandalwood from Hong Kong and entrusted factories in Suzhou and other places with processing and supervision to make sandalwood fans for sale in Hong Kong, where he became famous. In order to meet the needs of social celebrities, literati, drama, dance, etc., famous calligraphy and painting fans, folk arts, and dance fans were developed. "Wang Xing Ji" is recognized as the "King of Fans". In 1956, it exited the wholesale business after forming a public-private partnership. It was hit during the "Cultural Revolution", its characteristics disappeared and its business shrank. After the reform and opening up, business operations developed again. In April 1992, the "First Chun Shen Fan Cultural Exchange Meeting" was jointly held with Duoyunxuan, Shanghai Cultural Relics Store, Xinmin Evening News, etc. Hangzhou Fan Museum sent people to "learn from the experience", which brought fan marketing to a new stage. In 1995, it sold more than 800 types of fans in 14 categories, ranging from 10 cm folding fans to 100 cm screen fans, with annual sales exceeding 3 million yuan.