Wanglaoji Herbal Tea as the Popular Product Both at Home and Abroad

2017-08-31 12:04:46 GPHL GPHL

59a78c95f0f1b.jpg

In the early 1900s, in hotels of American big cities, whenever senior banquets were coming to an end, waiters would proffer Wanglaoji herbal tea.

Wanglaoji Herbal Tea Shop was divided into three shops later. Su Ji Tang Chengji of Jiangdu Wanglaoji flourished for its great recipe resource and good position. Su Ji Tang Xiangji of Macao Wanglaoji gained right time to have certain long-term contracts with others and so enjoyed a steady development. It is only Guangzhou Wanglaoji's ancestral shop that had no advantage and just left it up to chance.

The owner of Guangzhou ancestral shop was Wang Zebang's third son Wang Guifa, who let his second son Wang Henghui and third son Wang Hengrui hold the shop, and personally went to Hong Kong with first son Wang Hengyu to develop their branch in 1889. In 1897, Wanglaoji Faji's three sons together invested in UK to register trademark, with the clause that Wanglaoji family's descendants with the name "Heng" could have the right to export Wanglaoji to UK.

With the failure of Wuxu Reform, when the light of the early reform were fleeting and the sky of China was full of gloomy clouds again, Wanglaoji's Guangzhou ancestral shop diminished gradually. At that time, when the mega influenza broke out in Southeast Asia Island countries, every people felt insecure due to the lack of doctors and medicine.

Under the influence of many overseas Chinese people, Wanglaoji was in short supply in Southeastern Asia. Hong Kong Wanglaoji did excellent business for its advantage of exportation trademark. However, some overseas Chinese medicine businessmen also bought stock in Guangzhou, and then with the argument about which one was authentic, Wang Zebang's grandchildren quarreled with each other through newspapers.

The Wang's brothers' fighting with each other made consumers feel confused about the authenticity of Wanglaoji, and at that time the influenza quickly spread in South China, killing so many persons.

59a78cae74a06.jpg

Customers visit Wanglaoji herbal tea store.

One night, Wang Henghui and Wang Hengrui both dreamed Lai Shulan, who had already been sent by Liang Qichao to America for healthy aging, told to them, "Since Wanglaoji had been passed on to your family for more than one hundred years, you should return it to where it came from and should not go against the mandate of heaven." The brothers felt wondering and gathered the family to analyze good or ill luck.

Wang Henghui couldn't help talking Wanglaoji's stories, "Our grandfather Wang Zebang determined to study medicine, and followed Shennong's footsteps to taste herbs, trying to treat miasma in Feilaixia of Qingyuan and then nearly losing his life. He then was so lucky to be saved by Taoist Priest Lai Daozhen, who always travelled all over the country and lived in Feilai Temple at that time. He also gained the secret prescription of herbal tea from Taoist Lai, which he treasured up and brought it back to his hometown. In order to protect the herbal tea receipt from thefts, he went through hardships to establish Uncle Ji Herbal Tea Shop in Jingyuan Street in Guangzhou to save patients.

In 1839, when Lin Zexu destroyed 2370 thousand jin forfeit opium on the beach in Zhenkou Village of Humen Town, which made UK soldiers very angry and then a fierce war was brewing up at daggers drawn in both sides. It's a pity that Marine Captain Guan Tianpei, Hunan Captain Xiang Fu and other patriotic soldiers sacrificed due to the lack of ammunition.

At that time, even though Wanglaoji lost all the money, it obtained high reputation and deserved it. Our shop carried herbal materials to Humen and Huangpu, and arranged villagers to boil herbal tea in tens of big bronze tripods. They then brought herbal tea to the front lines and soldiers were cured after drinking the tea just within couples of days. So our armies could hold the fronts both at Humen and Huangpu. "

After Wang Henghui's impassioned speech, every person warmly applauded him. They immediately disclosed the prescription, and then many Wanglaoji tea bags came to the market. They also exported these tea bags through all kinds of channels to UK, USA, Holland, Portugal, South Asia and other countries.

In the early 1900s, in hotels of American big cities, whenever senior banquets were coming to an end, waiters would proffer Wanglaoji herbal tea. This custom remains alive today especially in San Francisco, Hawaii and etc, according to reports about Yuan Xiaoxian and Li Xiaochun's journey in America for 100 days, who are husband and wife and both of them are the famous reporters of Yangcheng Evening News.

NULL