Tong Ren Tang Drug Store

Tong Ren Tang was established by a family named Le from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Its founder Le Jiaming came to Beijing during the Qing Emperor Yongle s reign. At first, he made his life by selling common medicine in hutong. In the 38th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, he set up a drug store named Time- honored Store of Zong Ren Tong. Ever since its start,. Tong Ren Tang always uphold the tenet of saving no efforts in the complicated producing of Chinese medicine, and always use the proper ingredients no matter how Expensive it is. Therefore, Tong Ren Tang’s medicine was well received and trusted both by the imperial courts and the common masses. People praised the store as ‘The best medicine store in Beijing where sells the finest and most effective medicine.”

From the first year of Emptor Yongzheng’s reign, Tong Ren Tang became the special supplier for the imperial dispensary. The emperors,empresses and concubines also take file medicine produced by Tong Ren Tang. Ever since then, Tong Ren Tang was famous throughout the country. When purchasing raw medicine materials around the count, the store often stressed it was store for Imperial court. On the largest national medicine spice market in Anguo, Hebei Province, everybody had to wait the person from Tong Ren Tang to come, so that they can start the transactions. At that time, Tong Ren Tang’s purchases were always the biggest, and their price offers were always the highest among the other drag stores in me country. To enhance its status as governmental business, the tenth generation inheritor of Tong Ren Tang bought a fouth-level official title during the reign of Emptor Xianfeng. Around 1949, Tong Ren Tang’s general manager was Yue Songsheng.