Quanjude, a time-honored brand in China, was founded in 1864 (the third year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty), and its founder was Yang Quanren.

When Yang Quanren first arrived in Beijing, he was trading raw chickens and ducks in Meat Market Street outside Qianmen. Yang Quanren made a careful understanding of the way of selling ducks, and his business became more and more prosperous. He scrimps and saves on weekdays, and his accumulated money snowballs. Every day when Yang Quanren goes to the meat market to set up a stall to sell chickens and ducks, he passes through a dried fruit shop called "Dejuquan". Although the signboard of this shop is eye-catching, the business is declining. In the third year of Tongzhi (1864), business collapsed and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The shrewd Yang Quanren seized this opportunity, took out his savings for many years and bought the shop of "Dejuquan".

Then he invited Qian Zilong, a scholar who is quite accomplished in calligraphy, to write the three characters "Quanjude" and make a gold plaque to hang on the lintel.

Quanjude hired Master Sun, which means that it has mastered all the techniques of hanging roast duck in Qing Palace. Master Sun changed the original oven into a hanging oven with a large oven height and a wide hearth, which can roast more than a dozen ducks in one oven. You can also roast ducks while facing inside. The duck roasted by him is beautiful in appearance, rich and full, bright in color, bordeaux in color, crispy in skin and tender in meat, delicious and crisp in fragrance, fat but not greasy, thin but not firewood, and has won the reputation of "the capital is delicious, and it is better than a duck" for Quanjude roast duck.

Extended information

"Quanjude" is not only famous for its roast duck at home and abroad, but also a series of fine dishes represented by whole duck seats, special dishes, innovative dishes and celebrity banquets have formed a dish culture of Quanjude.

In the hands of chef Quanjude, the whole duck has become a treasure. While making roast duck, chefs of past dynasties have carefully created various delicious hot and cold dishes by using raw materials such as duck ribs, duck feet, duck hearts, duck livers and duck gizzards. After years of accumulation, a "Quanjude whole duck mat" has been formed, which is represented by mustard duck feet, flaming duck hearts, stewed duck four treasures, hibiscus plum-blossom duck tongue, and shark fin wrapped in duck.

It's quite interesting that Vice Chairman Wang Guangying once said at a dinner in Quanjude: "All kinds of duck ingredients are available in the whole duck mat, except one dish." Everyone couldn't figure out what it was. He laughed and said, "It's a duck egg!" Everyone suddenly realized. After careful study, a new dish-"Crystal Duck Treasure" was added to the menu of Quanjude, which filled the blank of "whole duck mat".

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