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Stemona sessilifolia , no Date
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Many jars in the drug collection displayed by Corporate History contain unusual and unexpected contents. For example, the jar with Stemona sessilifolia contains a herbal drug and a deep red piece of note paper with Chinese Han characters (“Hanzi”) written on it. The following is about this note. The roots in the jar are worth a separate article.
Optical character recognition and AI were used for the first attempt at interpreting the characters. This was a good opportunity to test the quality of such tools. Various queries yielded the following results:
“Hu Qing Yu Tang Genuine Price without Second Negotiation” or “Lantern Hanging for the Spring Full Moon” or “Hand Mirror of Wisdom and Virtue.”
A very kind Chinese colleague was of great assistance. It became clear that the right side of the note bears the name of a renowned Chinese pharmaceutical company founded in the 19th century, and the left side refers to the company’s fair pricing. In traditional Chinese texts the characters are written top down from right to left. The red color is full of symbolism, traditionally representing values such as happiness and strength in China.
The discovery was met with unexpected enthusiasm by a recent group of visitors from China and it is through this one-on-one conversation that our understanding of the significance of the red note was significantly expanded:
“Hu Qing Yu Tang (胡庆余堂), founded in 1874 by the late Qing Dynasty businessman Hu Xueyan, is a famous traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy located on the historic Qinghefang Street in Hangzhou. The name ‘Hu Qing Yu Tang’ comes from the classic text ‘The Book of Changes’ (Zhou Yi), which
states: ‘A family that is kind will have an abundance of blessings.’ This name also reflects Hu Xueyan's intention to bring prosperity to society through his efforts.
The company is known for the exceptional quality of its medicinal herbs and strict traditional processing. The company philosophy is ‘Jie Qi,’ which means: Be honest in business and do not deceive customers. This has gained the trust of many customers and secured a high reputation.
Today, the Hu Qing Yu Tang brand is a symbol of traditional Chinese medicine culture. In 2006, this culture was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage and was recognized as a ‘China Time-Honored Brand.’
Indeed, there is a golden plaque with the inscription ‘Honest Pricing’ (真不二价) in the main hall of the company. This principle goes back to the important healer Han Kang in Chinese history. He collected and sold herbs. Dishonest sellers often compromised on quality and allowed haggling, but Han Kang always remained steadfast.
The ‘honest pricing’ is thus Hu Xueyan's promise that the products sold by his company are genuine and unadulterated. It also conveys respect for the customers and his commitment to quality.”
This is just one of many moments that show the value of intercultural exchange that takes places at Corporate History!