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Home of famous brands
By Xu Wenwen |
September 24, 2009, Thursday
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HANGZHOU is the home of famous brands of scissors and knives, brush pens, cloth shoes, pastries and many other items that were known throughout China for their good quality.
They were showcased - along with other great Chinese brands - this week at the China Time-Honored Brand Exhibition.
Most of Hangzhou's time-honored brands were once on Zhongshan Road M., which is undergoing renovation. One stretch of the road will reopen late this month in time for the National Day holiday from October 1 to 8.
Some brands will be present on what has been renamed Royal Street of the Southern Song Dynasty, dating back around 1,000 years.
Zhongshan Road, a major commercial street, was once home to the Yu Feng Xiang small articles store, the Shao Yan Zhi brush pen store, the Bian Fu Mao cloth shoes store and the Jiu Zhi Zhai pastry store.
Since renovation of the road began, several old timers had to pull up stakes, either temporarily, or for good. Some relocated to other streets and some moved to another part of Zhongshan Road M., away from the core pedestrian zone.
The four-part renovation project runs 4.3 kilometers. The heart is a pedestrian street running from the Drum Tower to Xihu Avenue, around 1,000 meters. That's the part that will open for National Day holiday.
Some stores are back at their old addresses and will benefit from the traffic and tourists; others find their old address has been paved over or turned into something else.
The Yu Feng Xiang small articles store, the only time-honored small articles department store in Hangzhou, moved last year to 403 Zhongshan Road M., a less desirable and less profitable location. It cannot move back, since it has been displaced, and it has been unable to make ends meet since the move.
"The turnover in two days was just 2,700 yuan (US$396), while we need 200,000 yuan in monthly turnover to break even and maintain normal operations," manager Zhu Shuangquan told a local newspaper. To reduce costs, the store has to give more days off to workers.
The problem is shared by the Shao Zhi Yan brush pen store, which moved to Youdian Road, at the intersection with Zhongshan Road M. It used to receive dozens of tourist groups during the peak season, but that didn't happen this year.
"The turnover for the last six months declined more than 30 percent year-on-year, and on our worst day we only took in 20 yuan," vice manager Chen Mingzhu told a local newspaper.
Zhongshan Road M. existed for centuries as a commercial street. It was narrow, crowded and cluttered; many modern stores sold nothing of cultural value and the structures themselves were not historic.
The Hangzhou municipal government began planning renovation and restoration in 2006 and launched the project in 2008. The aim is to rearrange the shops, eliminate those of little historical significance and make the road more organized and appealing.
Old stores, foreign enterprises and creative shops are encouraged to open, creating a good magnet road for living, visiting and doing business.
The Yu Feng Xiang department store, which covers 400 square meters and mostly caters to senior citizens, is planning to upgrade its merchandise to appeal to more young customers and tourists.
The Bian Fu Mao shoes, one of the most venerated footwear brands in Zhejiang Province, has moved five times in 17 years, all because of street renovations.
Chinese cloth shoes are soft, strong and comfortable, but they look pretty much the same, usually black cloth and white tread soles.
Now the Bian Fu Mao designs and sells cloth high-heel shoes and athletic shoes in many colors to appeal to young people.
Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors & Knife Factory in Hangzhou, founded in 1663, achieved a turnover of 180 million yuan in 2008.
They were showcased - along with other great Chinese brands - this week at the China Time-Honored Brand Exhibition.
Most of Hangzhou's time-honored brands were once on Zhongshan Road M., which is undergoing renovation. One stretch of the road will reopen late this month in time for the National Day holiday from October 1 to 8.
Some brands will be present on what has been renamed Royal Street of the Southern Song Dynasty, dating back around 1,000 years.
Zhongshan Road, a major commercial street, was once home to the Yu Feng Xiang small articles store, the Shao Yan Zhi brush pen store, the Bian Fu Mao cloth shoes store and the Jiu Zhi Zhai pastry store.
Since renovation of the road began, several old timers had to pull up stakes, either temporarily, or for good. Some relocated to other streets and some moved to another part of Zhongshan Road M., away from the core pedestrian zone.
The four-part renovation project runs 4.3 kilometers. The heart is a pedestrian street running from the Drum Tower to Xihu Avenue, around 1,000 meters. That's the part that will open for National Day holiday.
Some stores are back at their old addresses and will benefit from the traffic and tourists; others find their old address has been paved over or turned into something else.
The Yu Feng Xiang small articles store, the only time-honored small articles department store in Hangzhou, moved last year to 403 Zhongshan Road M., a less desirable and less profitable location. It cannot move back, since it has been displaced, and it has been unable to make ends meet since the move.
"The turnover in two days was just 2,700 yuan (US$396), while we need 200,000 yuan in monthly turnover to break even and maintain normal operations," manager Zhu Shuangquan told a local newspaper. To reduce costs, the store has to give more days off to workers.
The problem is shared by the Shao Zhi Yan brush pen store, which moved to Youdian Road, at the intersection with Zhongshan Road M. It used to receive dozens of tourist groups during the peak season, but that didn't happen this year.
"The turnover for the last six months declined more than 30 percent year-on-year, and on our worst day we only took in 20 yuan," vice manager Chen Mingzhu told a local newspaper.
Zhongshan Road M. existed for centuries as a commercial street. It was narrow, crowded and cluttered; many modern stores sold nothing of cultural value and the structures themselves were not historic.
The Hangzhou municipal government began planning renovation and restoration in 2006 and launched the project in 2008. The aim is to rearrange the shops, eliminate those of little historical significance and make the road more organized and appealing.
Old stores, foreign enterprises and creative shops are encouraged to open, creating a good magnet road for living, visiting and doing business.
The Yu Feng Xiang department store, which covers 400 square meters and mostly caters to senior citizens, is planning to upgrade its merchandise to appeal to more young customers and tourists.
The Bian Fu Mao shoes, one of the most venerated footwear brands in Zhejiang Province, has moved five times in 17 years, all because of street renovations.
Chinese cloth shoes are soft, strong and comfortable, but they look pretty much the same, usually black cloth and white tread soles.
Now the Bian Fu Mao designs and sells cloth high-heel shoes and athletic shoes in many colors to appeal to young people.
Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors & Knife Factory in Hangzhou, founded in 1663, achieved a turnover of 180 million yuan in 2008.
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