The entrepreneurial history of Wang Yuanxing Restaurant is a microcosm of China's modern and contemporary history.
Founder Wang Changshou (1906-1971) was born in the ancestral flag people and worked in the Beijing Palace. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the People's Republic of China, the whole family moved south to Hangzhou, Wang Changshou studied cooking in Shanghai, Hangzhou and other places in his youth, and founded the "Wang Yuanxing Restaurant" in the West Street of Tangqi Town in the thirtieth year of the Republic of China (1941), and later received two apprentices, Xu Bing and Hu Yunsheng, and the long-term worker was called Yonglin. Local adults affectionately call him "Longevity Master", and juniors call him "Longevity Uncle". Wang Changshou was also fortunate to give birth to the most beautiful kitchen lady in Tangqi mentioned in this article- Wang Lili. It is said that the son inherits the father's business, and the son here can also be a woman.
In April 1955, seven restaurants, including "Wang Yuanxing", merged into the "Public-Private Partnership Perch Restaurant". In October 1958, the "Qiweiguan" was transformed into a state-run store. Since 1962, it has been affiliated to Yuhang County Drinking and Serving Company.
According to Xu Bing, the eldest apprentice of the founder of Wang Yuanxing Restaurant, his master was a craftsman who kept improving, and he also paid homage to his master in a disciplined manner: "My mother bought me a pair of red candles, and I went to Wang Yuanxing to learn art. Master Wang Changshou is an honest man, doing business realistically, getting up early every day and going dark, no matter which guest comes, he treats them as a guest of honor and a god. Come and make one by one, even if it is a bowl of noodles, a soup bun, a plate of small stir-fry, he will do it seriously. I remember that the pine silk soup buns, shrimp noodles, shrimp pop-up eel noodles, shrimp pop-fried eels, and rotten eels in the chef's shop were all dishes that the guests praised. As long as each ingredient is carefully processed by the master, it is transformed into a delicious snack and dish. At that time, although the storefront was small, it had a very good reputation among diners, and every day the guests were full of guests, and all they heard in their ears was "Longevity boss, come to a guest pine silk soup bun, come to a bowl of shrimp fried eel noodles, come to a plate of rotten eel silk..." And heard the response of the running hall" "Come, your pine silk soup bun, you slowly eat." ”
At that time, Wang Yuanxing's signature dish was "Wang Yuanxing Pine Silk Soup Bun": the steaming drawer was wrapped in exquisite meat, the pad was emerald green pine silk, a leisurely fragrance followed, and diners were given a bowl of old soup made of pork fan bones and pork barrel bones, and the soup was filled with egg shreds and green onions. To this day, this signature dish is still a memory of the taste of the old Tangqi people's hometown.
After years of hard work, the second generation of Wang Lili finally restored the "Wang Yuanxing Restaurant" brand. But the process of this son becoming a father is very difficult.
In 1975, Wang Changshou's daughter Wang Lili entered the "Tangqi Restaurant" under the local drinking company for 18 years. Later, he worked at the New Capital Hotel for 10 years. A young girl who has gone through the year of standing in the food industry, the year of not being confused.
With this effort, the little girl of that year became more and more mature in business. Business acumen is also better.
After years of hard work, in January 2013, Wang Lili and Guo Yanyan finally restored the golden signboard of "Wang Yuanxing Restaurant" by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The kitchen lady of that year was already the head of Wang Yuanxing's long-established family.
Wang Yuanxing's second-generation descendant Wang Lili (left) poses with the famous singer Dong Wenhua
At that time, the little daughter of the long-lived uncle in everyone's mouth was already the inheritor and protector of the long-established restaurant brand. Nearly 20 years of experience in state-run catering has allowed her to go farther and farther on the road of gastronomy, and Wang Yuanxing's business has also been booming.
As the saying goes: three hundred and sixty lines, lines out of the shape. Now many young people look down on catering service work, but they don't know that without perseverance and ingenuity, even if it is the chef's profession, you can't do it well. And if you pay attention to excellence and authenticity, even if you are a kitchen lady, you can also do the "most beautiful".
Author/Dr. Zhou, "Big Food Generation" is the number one columnist