Rong Baozhai address and bus route:
No.0/9, Liulichang West Street, Xuanwu District, Beijing
Bus: Take bus 15, 14 and 25 and get off at Liulichang Station.
According to relevant historical records, Rong Baozhai's predecessor was Songzhuzhai, which was founded in the 11th year of Qing Emperor Kangxi (A.D. 1672) and later renamed Rong Baozhai in the 20th year of Qing Guangxu (A.D. 1894), with a long history of more than 300 years.
The founder of Songzhuzhai is a Zhejiang native named Zhang, who used his salary as an official in Beijing to open a small "Nanzhi Store". The business scope of the paper shop is mainly divided into three parts: first, the paper for painting and calligraphy, as well as various plates and happy birthday screens; Second, all kinds of pens, inks, inkstones, ink cartridges, water bowls, inkpad, scales, pen containers and other stationery; Third, the pen list of the calligraphy and painting seal engraver (the so-called "pen list" refers to the price standard set by the calligraphy and painting artist for the sale of his works after the recommendation of the famous artist, and Matsuzaka can order for the customer and get the commission from it. At the same time, calligraphers, painters and seal engravers who hang pen lists buy paper, pens, inkstones and other articles and appliances in this shop, which has become a considerable stable income for Songzhuzhai. Songzhuzhai adheres to the courteous, warm and thoughtful service attitude from the boss to the clerk, welcoming and seeing off, and insisting on credibility first. It has been welcomed and trusted by the literati who patronize the store, and its business is getting better and better, and its reputation is getting bigger and bigger. During the period from Yongzheng Jinshi to Qianlong, the "Dongting University Scholar" and Shang Shuliang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also wrote a large-character plaque of "Songzhuzhai" for the store. In its heyday, Songzhuzhai also undertook the "official papers" (the papers that senior officials' children should take after taking the rural examination-the editor's note, the same below) and "official folding" (that is, "memorial"), which earned a stable income because of its good reputation.
However, the owner of Songzhuzhai is, after all, an official's family and is not proficient in business. In particular, the descendants of the Zhang family did not "live up to expectations" and were poorly managed. In addition, after the 1840 Opium War, China's social economy went from bad to worse, and the full Songzhuzhai was on the verge of ruin. In order to maintain the old shop, the shopkeeper specially hired Zhuang Huchen, a famous scholar in Beijing at that time, as the manager and made up his mind to abandon the old and build a new one. In the 20th year of Guangxu reign (A.D. 1894), the name of the store was changed to "Rong Baozhai", which means "making friends with literature and valuing honor", and Lu Runxiang, a famous calligrapher at that time, was invited to write the "Rong Baozhai" plaque.
With the passage of time, the business field of "Rong Baozhai" expanded continuously, and later it became famous at home and abroad for its stunt "Wood Watermark". The origin of China wood watermark art can be traced back to the 9th year of Tang Xiantong (AD 868), with a history of 1000 years. At first, it could only print relatively simple calligraphy and black-line Buddha paintings. The colored Buddha statues unearthed from the wooden pagoda in Yingxian County, Shanxi Province, proved that the color overprint technology was available at that time, and Rong Baozhai undoubtedly played an important role in the inheritance and development of this stunt in the ancient culture of the Chinese nation.
1950 In order to preserve, inherit and carry forward the "window" of our national culture, the people's government has set up a public-private partnership ―― Rong Baozhai New Record.
At present, Rong Baozhai is an academic and research-oriented art enterprise. Its business is still the traditional original marketing of China ancient and modern paintings and calligraphy, collecting lithographs, Four Treasures of the Study and antiques, and making woodcut watermarks, mounting and uncovering them. , cut with the seal, publicity and letter sleeve processing. In recent years, various paintings, albums, pictures and calendars have been published.
Rong Baozhai's new monument was inscribed by Guo Moruo, a famous calligrapher in China.
Address: No.0/9, Liulichang West Street, Xuanwu.
Featured products: Four Treasures of the Study, an original work of modern painting and calligraphy.