He made sure he kept the information in the roll updated and accurate, and the workmanship on the printed document was exquisite. Zhuang's "Roll of Officialdom" soon became a bestseller among bureaucrats and courtiers new to Beijing.

As Zhuang Huchen grew old, he had the pleasure of watching Rongbaozhai develop into one of the most prosperous stores on Liulichang Street.

In 1922, a decade after the founding of the Republic of China , a new manager took over the helm of Rongbaozhai. Wang Renshan had grown up in the shop, serving his apprenticeship there and moving rapidly up the ladder of promotion, eventually to deftly steer Rongbaozhai through the rough waters of the young republic.

Since the Qing Dynasty, most of Beijing's painting and calligraphy shops had been concentrated along Liulichang. Artists hoping to sell their works were eager to have them hanging on Rongbaozhai's walls, knowing that the store's reputation would mean almost certain sales.

When he first arrived in Beijing, Qi Baishi -- eventually to become one of modern China's most famous artists -- could hardly give his paintings away. Because of their guileless simplicity, and because of Qi's humble beginnings as a carpenter, at best, Beijingers ignored him, or at worst, they laughed at him.

But when Wang Renshan saw his paintings, his sharp eye spotted the talent that the others had missed. He accepted all of Qi's works and hung them in the most conspicuous spots in the shop. Gradually, Qi Baishi gained fame, and in the process he forged an indestructible bond with Rongbaozhai.

In 1927, Nanjing became the seat of China's government and the nation's economic center gradually moved south as well. The name of Beijing -- "Northern Capital" -- was changed to Beiping -- "Northern Peace."

The astute Wang Renshan, seeing that the wealthy and powerful had moved south, was quick to open branches of Rongbaozhai in Nanjing and Shanghai .

Wang Renshan and the shop prospered for a time, but the situation took a drastic turn for the worse. Beiping was occupied in August 1937 by the Japanese, and Shanghai fell in November. The Nanjing branch of Rongbaozhai, where most of the stock was kept, seemed to have escaped harm for a while. But in December 1937, the Nanjing Massacre began. The Nanjing branch of the shop was ransacked.

Page:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9