Among the mountain and sea grocery stores in Harbin, Tianfengyong is the oldest and largest one. It opened in 1905 and has a history of more than 50 years since it was a public-private partnership. Tianfengyong has a wide influence in the city and nearby counties in the province. I started as an apprentice at the age of 16 and have worked in Tianfengyong for more than 30 years. I have some understanding of the management and development of Tianfengyong. Li Yunting, the owner and manager of Tianfengyong, is from Leting County, Hebei Province. Because of his poor family background, he came to the Northeast to make a living when he was young and went to his brother Li Pinsan. In the 20th year of the Guangxu period (1895), Li Pinsan opened a grain warehouse in Shuangcheng County, which was under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province at that time. There was also a man named Qiao Zhixin who was unemployed in Li Pinsan's grain warehouse. At that time, Harbin's industry and commerce were booming. Li Yunting and Qiao Zhixin came to Harbin together to make a living with the support of Li Pinsan. At first, the two of them set up stalls in the Taigu Street area of Fujia Dian, Harbin, doing small business, selling mountain and sea groceries. After several years of hard work, the stall business was very prosperous and accumulated some funds. Later, the father of Jiao Xiceng, the owner of Tianfenghe in Acheng County, and the fathers of fellow townsmen Zhao Zifu, Du Runtang, Liu Wenzhang and others in Harbin, at the request of Li Yunting, all joined in some capital and jointly agreed to open a business with a store. So, they found two storehouses in Fujia Dian (now the southern end of Nantoudao Street in Daowai), renovated them and made them into business offices. The indoor equipment was extremely simple, and the shelves and counters were made of broken boards from packaging boxes. The preparations inside and outside were ready, and the name was Tianfengyong. Tianfengyong officially opened in February 1905. A horizontal plaque with black background and gold characters "Tianfengyong" was hung on the door, and eight large characters "Mountain and Sea Groceries" and "Tea and Paper" were written on both sides. This was the beginning of Tianfengyong. Around 1920, the father of Zhao Zifu, the old owner of Tianfengyong, came to the counter and was quite touched by the current situation of Tianfengyong. He thought that it would be bad if Tianfengyong could not let go of his hands and feet when he saw the good opportunity. He suggested that Tianfengyong keep up with the market trend. So in 1921, Tianfengyong updated all the equipment, expanded the business area, renovated and rebuilt the two-story building, and added guest rooms, canteens, dormitories and warehouses. After that, the appearance of Tianfengyong's store changed greatly, and the scale of operation and transaction volume were much larger than before. Before the "September 18th" Incident, profits increased rapidly, and the number of employees increased to more than 90, making it a major household in Harbin's ethnic commerce. Li Yunting also became a figure with a certain influence in the industrial and commercial circles at that time. The variety of mountain and sea groceries sold by Tianfengyong gradually developed from a small number to a large number. In its heyday, the variety of products sold reached as many as 300, and the production areas involved more than a dozen provinces, cities and regions. The main channels for purchasing upper and lower groceries with scattered production areas and a wide variety of products are as follows: (i) Sending personnel to purchase directly. Dalian, Yingkou, Andong, and Shanghai are the production areas and distribution centers of mountain and sea groceries. Tianfengyong has personnel stationed there all year round to inspect the goods on site and purchase directly. Most of Tianfengyong's seafood is purchased in this way. (ii) Sending personnel to purchase temporarily during the harvest season. Both mountain and seafood products are highly seasonal. By sending personnel to the production areas temporarily during the harvest season, we can have choices in terms of quality and price. For example, mushrooms in the Jiaohe area, fungus in the Heihe and Zhalantun areas, small dried shrimps and shrimps in the Jinzhou and Yingkou areas, etc., are mostly purchased temporarily during the production season. (iii) Establishing a credit relationship and purchasing through letters and telegrams. Tianfengchong maintained regular contact and credit relations with warehouses in many cities in Northeast China, East China, and South China. With just a letter or a telegram, the other party would deliver the goods as required. This method of purchasing goods was fast, reliable, and economical, and accounted for a large proportion of Tianfengchong's purchases. (IV) Pre-order from foreign companies. At that time, there were many Japanese companies in Daoli. Most of the foreign companies' counters were hired by Chinese. They would go to major stores almost every day with product samples in hand to sell them, but the foreign companies did not have ready stock. After liking the samples, they signed pre-order contracts and shipped them a few months later. Most of the orders from Japanese companies were for cloth, cotton yarn, cotton thread, linen silk, sugar and other groceries. Tianfengchong was a wholesale and retail business, with the wholesale business accounting for a large proportion of the transaction, accounting for about 70 to 80% of sales, and the sales targets were nearby counties in the province. At that time, there was a fixed system for doing business. The goods sold were packed or packaged according to the other party's requirements, and then sent to the station by horse carriage for shipment. For the small items sold at the counter, which the customer cannot bring with them, the invoice will be issued by the counter and delivered to the other party by the young man with the delivery sheet. Only after the acceptance is confirmed, the responsibility will be relieved. Since Tianfengyong's wholesale business is relatively large, the work of the employees is also relatively tiring, especially during the period before the Spring Festival every year. Once Laba comes, they often have to work until the early morning of the next day. If there are any mistakes or shortcomings, they will be criticized. For example, if the delivery is small, the price does not match, or there is a quarrel with the customer, they will be questioned at the meeting every evening. Generally, the parties will be severely scolded without allowing them to argue. If the mistake is made by someone who has a bad impression on the manager, the manager will not even tell the person himself, but directly send a letter to the insurer to dismiss him. During the three festivals every year (Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival), the manager will screen the apprentices, and sometimes he will dismiss ten or eight for each festival. Therefore, the mobility of apprentices in Tianfengyong is relatively large, and there are always 20 to 30 people coming to the counter to be apprentices every year. Tianfengyong implements a salary system that combines salary and monthly wages. It stipulates that all those who have status shares will not receive monthly wages. Instead, they will make a certain amount of soft payment (temporary loan) every year according to their salary, and then divide it according to the salary at the end of the year. An employee usually works for a store for about ten years before he can get a share. I joined Tianfengyong at the age of 16 and only got a 3-cent share when I was 28. At that time, Tianfengyong was making money, and a 3-cent share could earn more than 250 yuan a year. Later, my share was increased to 2 cents, but by the end of the Japanese occupation, the share was just a name and I could not get any money at all. Apprentices are paid two yuan a month when they enter the store, and then it will increase to 50 cents to 1 yuan every year, but the maximum cannot exceed 25 yuan until they can get a share. Tianfengyong stipulates that the accounts will be settled once every three years, and the profits will be distributed according to the ratio of 3 in the west and 7 in the east. If the enterprise does not have a surplus, it will implement a flat payment (the soft payment of the share within three years will be written off), but there are not many such years since I joined Tianfengyong. When the owner of Tianfengyong resigned or was fired, the accounts were cleared and the share was paid until he retired. For example, Xue Ruifu, the third owner, resigned and went home in 1938. Just by a rough estimate, he got 160,000 yuan in counterfeit currency. Tianfengyong also has a rule that is different from other enterprises, that is, the founder of the enterprise still enjoys the right to profit distribution after leaving the company. For example, after the manager Li Yunting left the company and went home in 1929, he never stopped participating in the profit distribution of the enterprise. Until his death, he still retained the right to profit distribution for three account periods (each account period is three years) and nine years, which is rare in other stores. Tianfengyong has a history of more than 50 years from its opening to public-private partnership. Except for the late period of the Japanese puppet regime, the enterprise shrank and fell into depression due to the cruel rule of the Japanese puppet regime. Most of the years were relatively smooth and did not encounter risks and setbacks. In that turbulent and eventful era, Tianfengyong was able to exist and develop relatively smoothly. According to my observation, there are several main reasons: First, it did not borrow credit and was affected by the changes in the law of non-money. At that time, the capital of industry and commerce was generally meager. In order to survive and develop, most of them had loan relationships with banks and money houses. Therefore, they were easily hit by the inconsistency of money methods and the fluctuation of exchange rates. I remember that one year, Tongji Shopping Mall was hit by the depreciation of money methods and almost went bankrupt. Tianfengyong has always adopted a self-sufficient approach in the use of funds. It does not borrow money from banks and money houses, and holds the fate of the enterprise in its own hands. At that time, there were many coins circulating in the market, and the exchange rates changed greatly. Most of the transactions were based on Japanese gold notes. In order to grasp the fluctuations of various money methods, Tianfengyong had a special person stationed in the Nansandao Street Financial Exchange in Daowai. Through the direct line set up in the exchange, he reported the market to the deputy manager Qiao Zhixin at any time. Once the exchange rate was favorable, he would sell the Ha Dayang in his hand to buy back the gold notes. Because Tianfengyong insisted on not borrowing, it has not encountered risks and blows for decades, but also gained some conveniences from it. Second, it is well-informed and more flexible in operation. In addition to sending people to a few cities, Tianfengyong relies on correspondence and telegrams to obtain market information in many cities across the country. There is a clerk on the counter who, according to Qiao Zhixin's instructions, is responsible for contacting with correspondence and telegrams from other places. Tianfengyong receives market information and bills of lading from major cities every other day. According to the market information in various places, it chooses orders with suitable prices and economical freight. The wider and faster the information, the greater the room for comparison and selection. Since the information and market information are relatively well-informed, it is confident to take a flexible approach to price. Tianfengyong holds a meeting every two days to analyze and study the market information in various places, decide on the varieties to adjust the prices, and then notify all departments to implement the price changes. If there are individual varieties that are higher than the prices of peers on the same day, it will immediately hang a sign of price change on the counter without waiting for the meeting to maintain Tianfengyong's reputation among customers. Third, pay attention to communication and commercial reputation. Tianfengyong never misses the opportunity to communicate with any new merchants in its business, and establishes a credit relationship as soon as they communicate. We reply to letters and calls from new and old customers in a timely manner, never delaying orders from our store, and shipping according to requirements and time without delay. If our store does not have a complete range of products, we will do everything we can to find a complete range among our peers, and send them together with the invoices of our peers. If the goods that have been shipped are reported by the other party in a letter that the quantity is less or the goods are of poor quality, in addition to internally investigating the responsibility of the person in charge, we will make up for it regardless of the situation, so as not to damage the reputation of Tianfengyong. For the sake of reputation, after the board (closing the store) every night, there will always be someone on duty at the side door to receive rickshaw drivers who will take a dime of tea along the way. There is a special counter for tea, and it is almost a system for self-purchase and self-matching. If there is any neglect, it will be criticized by Qiao Zhixin. Due to the good reputation of Tianfengyong, there is an endless stream of old customers coming to buy goods. At most, more than 30 people stay every day. They trust Tianfengyong because the goods are complete and the prices are suitable. Secondly, they can get goods without cash. Some of them owe up to 1,800 yuan on credit. Fourth, the variety is complete, focusing on long-term interests. Since the expansion in 1921, Tianfengyong has been operating in the following categories: dried vegetables, tea, paper, groceries, spices, food and cloth. The varieties of each category range from dozens to hundreds, including daily necessities, Chinese medicinal materials, chemical raw materials and dyes. It is famous for its complete variety. Some varieties that are not sold in other stores can be bought in Tianfengyong, such as palm flakes for filtering, cassia bark for blood fish nets, stone powder for starching clothes and brushing shoes, as well as black, white, 1, etc. Some products are not sold once in a year or two, and the profit is low and the loss is large, but Tianfengyong does not hesitate to occupy funds and insists on operating these unprofitable products. The person in charge of Tianfengyong (equivalent to the current business director) believes that a complete variety is a way to expand the influence of the enterprise. In the long run, it is to attract more customers. Do more business. The facts show that Tianfengyong's business philosophy has been effective in practice. In December 1955, Tianfengyong implemented a public-private partnership and was affiliated to the Shanhai Grocery Store. 1957 The system was adjusted, Shanhai Grocery Store was abolished, and Tianfengyong was merged into the Municipal Vegetable Company. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)