Many household words would immediately jump into people's minds when they were asked to name some of the time-honored brands in Hangzhou, for example, Hu Qing Yu Tang drugstore, Wang Xing Ji fans, Lou Wai Lou restaurants, Zhi Wei Guan restaurants, Zhang Xiao Quan scissors and Du Jin Sheng brocades.

On January 15, 2010, the inaugural "Zhejiang's and Macao's Time-Honored Brands Expo" was held at the Macao Venetian Resort Hotel. These long-established brands have attracted many visitors and the products sold very well at the Expo. At the awards ceremony for "Hangzhou Time-Honored Brands" ten days later, 78 time-honored brands were officially acknowledged by the government.

Story and history of time-honored brands

With the development of the city, these time-honored brands have became part of its cultural and economic heritage. Each time-honored brand has its own story, such as the Qing dynasty's Emperor Chiarnlurng enjoying a dish so much he bestowed a plate to the cook, or the legend of Songsao who made the famous Mandarin fish soup with ham and mushrooms. Residents in Hangzhou were pretty familiar with these tales, and developed affection toward them as well.

Mandarin fish soup with ham and mushrooms

Responsibility of time-honored brands

In addition to bearing historical connotations, time-honored brands must make progress. "Time-honored brands have the responsibilities of both protecting the historical culture heritage and keeping up with the times. The culture of these brands should be handed down along with various management styles," said You Liqun, deputy dean of the business administration college of Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics.