Rui Fu Xiang on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Ruifuxiang Silk Store () is a chain of silk stores in eastern
/ref> from Jiujun County to the north of Zhangqiu City,
/ref> In the beginning, Meng Hongsheng traded in a locally produced coarse cloth that was popular among peasants for its durability and low price.
Accordingly, the business strategy was based on large sales volumes and small profit margins. Later Meng Hongsheng set up chain stores in cities such as Shanghai, Qingdao, Tianjin and began to extend his business into the market for luxury items like silk, satin, tea, and furs). Most of the store names such as Ruifuxiang, Qianxiangyi, Quanxiang, Longxiang, Hongxiang, Ruishengxiang, Qingxiang contained the character "Xiang" () and were hence collectively known as the "Xiang stores". The name Ruifuxiang alludes to the "Qingfu" (), a legendary insect that could bring wealth, and also appears on some versions of the Rui Fu Xiang logo. In 1862, the Mengs opened the Ruifuxiang store in the western part of
official website
Companies based in Jinan Chinese brands Silk
The Ruifuxiang Silk Store () is a chain of silk stores in eastern China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
The Ruifuxiang stores were founded by Meng Hongsheng, a descendant of the Confucian philosopher Mencius (Chinese family name Meng)Ruifuxiang - online article by www.ebeijing.gov.cn/ref> from Jiujun County to the north of Zhangqiu City,
Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
Province.
The Meng family had been in the clothing business since the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (1661-1722).Jinan Ruifuxiang - online article by www.vjourney.com/ref> In the beginning, Meng Hongsheng traded in a locally produced coarse cloth that was popular among peasants for its durability and low price.
Accordingly, the business strategy was based on large sales volumes and small profit margins. Later Meng Hongsheng set up chain stores in cities such as Shanghai, Qingdao, Tianjin and began to extend his business into the market for luxury items like silk, satin, tea, and furs). Most of the store names such as Ruifuxiang, Qianxiangyi, Quanxiang, Longxiang, Hongxiang, Ruishengxiang, Qingxiang contained the character "Xiang" () and were hence collectively known as the "Xiang stores". The name Ruifuxiang alludes to the "Qingfu" (), a legendary insect that could bring wealth, and also appears on some versions of the Rui Fu Xiang logo. In 1862, the Mengs opened the Ruifuxiang store in the western part of
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...
that traded mainly in silk and satins. A branch in Beijing followed one year later. This branch store was destroyed in 1900, when the
Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing to put down the Boxer Rebellion. It was rebuilt shortly
thereafter.
Business peaked in the 1920s and 1930, when Meng Luochuan was at the helm of the family enterprise. By the 1940s, the Meng family business
was made up of more than 96 stores and other ventures. These included 50 silk and 20 tea stores as well as
pawnshops and banks. The Meng businesses were located in places such as Jinan
Jinan is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...
, Qingdao, Yantai,
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
, Tianjin
Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...
, Baoding, Shenyang
Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
, Harbin
Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
, Suzhou
Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce.
Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...
, Hangzhou, and Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
Province.
The first flag of People's Republic of China raised in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on 1 October 1949 was made from Ruifuxiang silk.
The business concept and management philosophy of the Ruifuxiang stores have been cited as a source of inspiration that Sam Walton
used in the establishment of Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
.
Stores
*215 Jinger Street, Jinan, Shandong (), *5 Dashilangjie, Qianmenwai, Beijing,See also
* List of sites in JinanReferences
External links
{{commons categoryofficial website
Companies based in Jinan Chinese brands Silk