The earliest "financial street" in old Beijing

Zhang Yongjun

The commercial street outside the front door has been very lively since the Ming and Qing dynasties. From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, the financial industry here has also developed rapidly, which is the earliest "financial street" in old Beijing.

Qianmen Street after 1900

1 26 "official furnace" in jewelry city

"Furnace" is also known as "silver furnace". The original business of the furnace was melted on behalf of the merchants, and it was designated as the size of the ingot. Later, the furnace was the main business of storage of silver, and the melting silver ingot became an auxiliary business. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were many furnaces in Beijing, especially with 26 furnaces in jewelry city, which was called "official furnace".

During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Lu Tianbao in Gucheng Village, Shenzhou, Zhili, founded Jiuju Furnace Furniture in the Jewelry City outside the front door, specializing in the two silver casting. This is the first influential furnace in Beijing in modern times. Later, Jiuju furnace room had developed a lot, and the relatives of the Lu family also came to Beijing to open a furnace, reunion, Wanju, Quanju, Zengsheng, Zengmao, Gathering, De Shun and other furnaces. Breaking by the relatives. The businessmen engaged in the furnace industry in Beijing are generally natives of Zhili Shenzhou, followed by wound deer and Jixian people. At that time, they were called "deep beam to help the silver".

The furnace was initially melted silver, and did not charge another handling fee. It only took advantage of the color of the silver. The original silver was low. If it was melted into ingots, it could pay less. Do you have to pay more. Later, the furnaces gradually storage of silver as the main business. Major businesses, money shops, and the door of the gate of the gate, and the houses of the houses, all paid one or two furnaces as the backing, or stored zero silver.

The 26 reputable furnaces in the late Qing Dynasty were: Jufeng, Dushun, Tong Yuanxiang, Jiyi, Yitaiyuan, Yuanfeng, Fuju, Zengsheng, Wan Ju, Bao Yuanxiang, Ju Zeng, Quanju thick thickness , Wanfeng, Wanxing, Yufeng, Baofengcheng, Xiangruixing, Qianhe Rui, Baoxing, Defeng, Hengsheng, Yu Xingyuan, Jutai, Hengkang, Zengmao, and Ju Shengyuan. Although these 26 furnaces were opened for private, because they were all filled in the household department, they were called "official furnaces". During the Guangxu period, these 26 furnaces actually controlled Beijing's financial market. Before the opening of the city, the city's large and small stores must go to the jewelry market to check the water sign of the silver money price, and then open the store door.

During the "Gengzi Incident" period, Dasaira and Jewelry City suffered a fire. There was a poem in the book "Du Genji into Hundreds of Yongs": "Wish Rong Rong Flame Thousands of Flames, a golden shop and silver furnace. Qi Shu's hand, the city's scenery is too depressed. "All the furnaces were burned, resulting in all the silver, money houses and pawnshop all closed. It was not until the Ministry of Households called 26 furnace houses.

The old photo of the Bank of Communications along the street

2 Shijia Hutong Mi Bu Yin Number

The silver in Beijing began to be active during the Kangxi period. The earliest one was "Zhengyi Temple", which was founded by the Shaoxing of Zhejiang in the sixth year of Kangxi (1667), also known as the "Silver Guild Hall". "Zhengyi Temple" opened a shop around Zhengyangmen.

Shijia Hutong is located in the east of the Dashura area outside the front gate. East -west is moving, east is located in Grain Store Street, and west in the coal market. Before 1949, this alley can be called "Silver Street". On both sides of the 280 -meter street, more than ten silver numbers have gathered. The larger silver number is Qian Sheng on the 10th. , Yosheng No. 12, Fu Sheng on No. 15, Qiming of No. 17, Sanju Source of No. 21, Integration of No. 22, Fengsheng of No. 24, Yu Taiheng of No. 26, Guangrui of No. 28, etc.

Many silver numbers in Shijia Hutong have long been operating the business characteristics of the old ticket number for a long time. Because the customers are relatively stable, most of the business is targeted loan and agency settlement, so there is basically no foreign business hall, but to set up a house of rooms, leased accounts and entertaining customers. It is a typical representative.

Among the many silver numbers in Shijia Hutong, the building of Yuxingzhong is more characteristic. It is opened in Shijia Hutong, the house number 11, the back wall to the Caijia alley, the three -story brick and wood structure, the slope top and the flat top are combined. The plane is L -shaped, the surface is narrow, the deep in is larger, and the gables are small. In order to solve the problem of lighting and ventilation, two internal patios that are connected to the three floors are set up, and a hood is set up. The two or three floors surround the patio as the horse gallery, and the surrounding room opens or opens the door to the patio. At the end of the northwest corner, a smaller patio also made a bright public activity space in the local area. The east and west facade of the building are connected to the neighboring house, so the treatment is simpler, only the windows are opened locally, and the window has an iron fence on the window. The facade workmanship is relatively fine. The wall surface is made of dry swing method, with walls and cornice decoration lines, and the daughter wall is on the top. There are columns on both sides of the main entrance, with window sleeves, and one or two layers of windows. They are very beautiful.

Old photos of Salt Industry Bank along the street

3 West River banks along the street

During the Republic of China, Qianmen West River was once a well -known "financial street" along the street. There are many banks such as Bank of Communications, Jincheng Bank, and Salt Bank in the street. The opening of the bank and the construction of the train station quickly flourished along the streets of the Qianmen.

The Bank of Communications along the streets of Qianmen West River is one of the earliest buildings. According to the "Thirty -Year History of the Bank of Communications", the Bank of Communications was invited by the Ministry of Postal Department in November 33 (December 1907). set up. The Ministry of Postal Bank establishes the Bank of Communications "to raise public debts to redeem the Beijing -Chinese Railway, and the revenue and expenditure of the four administrations of the road, the road, the mail, and the post, and the national foreign exchange exchange, and the implementation of the national currency. There is a plan for planning. "The new office building of the Bank of Communications Peiping Branch was completed on June 6, 1932. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was the location of the Beijing Branch of the People's Bank of China. In 1995, it was listed as a cultural relics protection unit in Beijing. Salt Bank was an important commercial bank in the Republic of China. According to the "Selection of Beijing Dashi Ran Commercial Finance Materials": Beiyang government uses salt models as the financial community. In order to maintain the salt industry and adjust finance, the Salt Industry Bank was set up in October 1914. The Beijing Branch is opened at the same time. Salt Bank's business banks and savings business were the crown of commercial banks nationwide at that time.

Jincheng Bank was founded in 1917. At that time, it was opened in several bungalows in the Qianxianjia Hutong along the Qianmen West River, and soon moved to No. 12, the Xianmen Xihe River.

(Source: Beijing Daily Author: Institute of History of the Academy of Social Sciences)

Editor in charge: Xiaoyun

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