Businessmen in old Beijing, especially those famous "time-honored brands", are extremely cautious in employing people in order to maintain the characteristics and traditions of our store and to pass on their ancestral businesses from generation to generation. In addition to inheriting their father's business, they also try to avoid using local people when hiring other workers. This also shows that the employment thought at that time was very conservative.
Before the liberation of Beijing, all walks of life were basically controlled by natives, that is, by gangs. It is generally difficult for mainlanders to participate. This industry distribution lasted for hundreds of years.
For a long time, Beijing's industry and commerce were run by people from Shandong, Shanxi and Hebei. As "One Hundred Stories of the Old Capital" said: "For hundreds of years, the industrial and commercial circles in the old capital were almost entirely owned by Shandong people and Shanxi people. There are many workers in Shandong and many businesses in Shanxi. " According to "Notes on Old Beijing", "The old rice houses in Beijing are all opened by Shandong people and have been in contact for a long time. They are also called Baishi Lake in Shandong." The book also said: "The shops of leather goods and dried fruits are all from Shanxi, and the silks and satins, grain and restaurants are all from Shandong." Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei and other provinces were all populous provinces at that time, and their economy and culture were relatively developed, so they would never choose Beijingers when employing people. This regional phenomenon is also recorded in the annals of Beijing.
Speaking of businessmen, Beijing Chronicle records: "Beijingers are generally small businessmen, but there are few big businessmen". In this case, it is undoubtedly very difficult for Beijingers to join the "time-honored brand" or to be apprentices in it.
After the mid-Qing Dynasty, the national situation began to decline and the economy was depressed, but the children of the Eight Banners still lived a luxurious life, and the wind of grandiose talk continued unabated, which inevitably affected Beijingers.
In this case, businessmen in Shandong and Shanxi provinces who still maintain the ancient tradition of our country will certainly not allow Beijingers affected by the legacy of the Eight Banners to enter their shops and destroy the foundation they have worked so hard to build.
They believe that if the store is affected by it, the foundation created through hard work is likely to be destroyed.
What's more, "Shanxi people have keen business opportunities, Shang Lue and strong unity, but they are inevitably stingy and conservative." Shandong people "have Shang Lue and patience, so they keep pace with Shanxi merchants." They don't want to associate with Beijingers who pretend to be "the first subjects at the foot of the son of heaven". They can only chat and talk, but they can't bear hardships and stand hard work, and they can't fight hard in the "commercial war". What about Beijingers?
Since it is crowded out by big firms, we have to do some small business, or pull rickshaws and pedal three rounds (we are familiar with Beijing geography).
Beijing's "time-honored brands" have strict store rules and strict management, and apprentices can only leave apprentices after "three years". Apprentices can neither visit relatives nor go home during their apprenticeship. What's more, the apprentices do all the dirty work, and they have to do chores such as knocking down chamber pot, making the bed, making tea and pouring water.
Apprentices from other places can bear hardships and stand hard work, and they are unaccompanied in Beijing, so they can generally stick to it.
And Beijingers, if they don't want to do it, may run home at any time. So Shandong people only use Shandong apprentices, and Shanxi people only use Shanxi apprentices. Slowly, this established rule was formed.
In the old society, almost all shopkeepers regarded their people as "thieves". If their apprentices, buddies and shop assistants are strangers, there is nowhere to hide even if they "steal".
Based on this, Beijingers are no longer employed by the "eight alleys" and "eight buildings" run by mainlanders.
In fact, old Beijingers all have certain moral cultivation, and they pay attention to "courtesy, righteousness and honesty", which is definitely not what they think.
Most Beijingers are hardworking, loyal and upright, but those lazy people who are influenced by the legacy of the Eight Banners are a minority after all. It is not only unfair for those big firms in old Beijing not to use Beijingers, but also a manifestation of their narrow thinking.
This unfair employment trend in old Beijing has deeply affected the handicraft industry and service industry. Masons, for example, are mostly in Jizhou, JD.COM. Nine times out of ten, Beijing Woodware Factory is run by merchants in Shenzhou and Jizhou, while most merchants in Dongba County (Beijing) are inferior merchants, who make a living by shaving their heads with coolies.
The old and backward employment method of old Beijing industry and commerce not only made Beijingers suffer greatly, but finally formed a "strange circle" in which Shandong people did not use Shanxi people and Shanxi people did not use Hebei people. The extremely conservative concept of employing people will inevitably slow down the development of this industry because of the lack of "fresh blood".
Beijing has been a country of courtesy and righteousness since ancient times, and its existence, development and prosperity are all condensed with the painstaking efforts and wisdom of Beijingers. The time-honored brand of old Beijing does not recruit apprentices from Beijingers. Some of the reasons are reasonable, but more are narrow "local protectionism".
In the long historical years, Beijingers have also learned some truth from it, so they have made great efforts to open restaurants such as Donglaishun, Barbecue Bay and Barbecue Season. The appearance of "Jingweier" and "time-honored brand" shows that Beijing is full of talents.