What is the origin of the name "Four Great Heng"?

"Four Big Heng" are the four big banks of Hengli, Henghe, Hengxing and Hengyuan. Originally from Cixi, Zhejiang. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Mr. Dong set up a money stall and exchanged silver and copper coins, which gradually developed. Due to the accumulation of capital, the above four banks are all located near Dongsi Pailou.

Hengli is the main store, located in the east street of Sipailou, Henghe Nuodong. Located in the west of Dongsipailou North Road, Hengxing lives at No.1 Hengyuan, the east exit of Beilongfu Temple Hutong. Located in the north of Dongsipailou East Road. Hahnge. Specializing in the deposit business of big bureaucrats and wealthy families. Hengli and Hengyuan No.2 are used exclusively as commercial funds. Henrino. There is a jewelry bureau in Guyi Street, Tianjin, which was later renamed Hengli Gold Store. In the late Qing Dynasty, Yong 'antang drugstore was also the industry of Henglinuo .. Hengxing's main business was to serve large companies. Due to abundant funds, in order to meet the needs of the market, a "silver ticket" was issued to circulate in the market, which solved the inconvenience and safety problems of the two banks and greatly facilitated consumption. So the reputation of the "four constants" soared and swept the city. Dong Shi's family built three houses and set up courtyards in Dongsi Pailou, and settled in Dongsi, with Courtyard No.32 as the core and connected with Courtyard No.31and Courtyard No.33, forming a north-south east-west compound courtyard group. In the early years of Guangxu, "four invariants" reached its peak. The development of "Four Constants" not only has its advantages of good weather, geographical location and human harmony, but also has its unique business philosophy. The so-called good weather, good place and good people are the opportunities brought by the economic development during the Qianlong period, and the geographical advantage is to choose Dongsi as a commercial treasure (Chaoyangmen, Dongzhimen and Chongwenmen are the main channels for grain, timber and many foreign commodities to enter Beijing, and there are many warehouses and warehouses near Chaoyangmen, which promote the development of finance and commerce). The way of harmony between people is to manage the family well and communicate with foreign countries harmoniously and smoothly. The business philosophy of "four invariants" is embodied in the words "harmony", "profit", "source", "prosperity" and "invariance", which contains the profound connotation of "harmony is precious, profit is the foundation, the city is prosperous, the history is long and eternal". The business purpose of "four invariants" is to gain profits, gain profits and gain strength, so we can seek prosperity based on profits, but we must make use of righteousness, faith, sincerity and harmony, and there must be no cheating heart and behavior called "a good way to make money". Only by accumulating profits in good faith can we expand the scale and scope of business, and the accumulation of strength further enhances the credibility of banks, so that banks can flourish. Benefit comes from harmony, harmony comes from sincerity, wealth comes from harmony and benefit, and harmony is not a temporary sum. Interest is not the interest of a place, but a broad vision, a long-term view of the future, so that interests come from the source. "Constant" means perseverance, and there can be no slack. Really work hard, start a business in good faith, forge ahead, and let the "four constants" last forever in the market. In the third year of Xianfeng in Qing Dynasty (1853), the Northern Expeditionary Army of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom invaded Zhili, and the people in Beijing were in a panic. The holders of silver tickets wanted to exchange them for money, which led to the closure of more than 200 banks. Some people can't change money because the bank is closed, and the silver ticket has become a piece of waste paper, but the "four tycoons" have not been affected. From 65438 to 0939, the life of Tianjin Dashui citizens was seriously affected and suffered heavy losses. Tianjin Hengli Jin Dian chartered a boat to distribute food, and the disaster relief activities aroused great concern from all walks of life and left a deep impression on the people of Tianjin. According to Miscellanies in the Ruling and Opposition since Daoxian County, "At that time, Shi Jing Bank was called Sihong first, which began at the time of Ganjia. They are all businessmen in eastern Zhejiang, and Ningshao is the majority. They are shareholders with strong capital and a prosperous market. " I still remember that "the rich households in the nine cities rely entirely on Mount Tai for official loans". It embodies the position of the four constants in the eyes of the general public and plays a decisive role in Beijing's financial industry. 1900 (the 26th year of Guangxu), Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, plundered it, and the "Four Great Heng" was devastated. According to historical records, "when Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, only four pounds of silver were robbed for three days, which shows how much silver there is". Afterwards, Dong converted the silver ticket into cash to pay off the debt, leaving his own property. Although he struggled for more than ten years, the four major banks closed at the end of the year because of their poor strength 19 10 or so, and Beijing's money industry was also depressed. "A Brief History of China Finance" describes it like this: "During the invasion of Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900 (the 26th year of Guangxu), the banks in Beijing and Tianjin were not spared, and they were looted by the invaders, and then burned down, leaving no treasury, houses and deeds. Almost none of the more than 300 banks in Beijing are spared, and the four largest ones are also called the so-called "Big Four". Since then, Beijing's money industry has been devastated, and China's financial center has also moved from Beijing to Shanghai. " 1909 (the second year of Xuantong), the Dong Shi family suffered another change. The Qing government borrowed 3 million taels of silver from Dongshijia on the grounds of the lack of silver in the palace, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued an iou to repay it later, which could not be recovered when the Qing government perished. Dong Shi went bankrupt and got into trouble. In order to survive, they have to sell real estate as capital. They set up Hengli Gold Store on the original site of Hengyuan, produced and operated gold and silver jewelry, and acquired Yong 'antang drugstore in the southeast corner of Dongsi archway, which was in trouble due to poor capital turnover. After the opening of Tianjin after the Gengzi Incident, domestic and foreign trade flourished and the market became increasingly prosperous. So in 1928 (18th year of the Republic of China), Beijing Hengli Gold Store was closed, and the funds were transferred to Tianjin Hengli Gold Store to establish a joint venture with Zhejiang fellow villagers Zhu and Zhou. After the capital increase and share expansion, Hengli Gold Store hired Zhou Yinchu, a senior employee of Wuhualou Gold Store who has great influence in Tianjin gold store industry, as the manager, specializing in red gold, tattooed silver jewelry, bracelets and other accessories, which greatly improved the quality and grade of accessories and gradually raised Tianjin gold store industry to a new level. Soon, the store moved from Juyi Street to Xu Jie Street in the Japanese Concession. In order to expand its business, a branch named Hengli Jin Dian Xiahao (Xu Jie Store is called Haohao) was opened next to the China Grand Theatre in the French Concession. The gold and silver jewelry produced has good color, sufficient weight, fine craftsmanship and genuine goods. In particular, the gold-wrapping technology is superior, and gold-wrapping jewelry is more popular among the middle and lower class citizens, farmers and ethnic minorities in the city, becoming a necessary thing for marriage and marriage. Therefore, there has been a big improvement in business, and the annual dividend has become the main source of income for Dong Shijia. Jim Chou, manager of Hengli Gold Store, was elected as the director of Tianjin General Chamber of Commerce, which shows the important position of Tianjin Gold Store in Tianjin business. 1940 or so, 104 gold and silver jewelry industry is listed as the most famous shop in Tianjin. Only Hengli Gold Store with a history of 200 years and a capital of 654.38+10,000 yuan and Zhengyang Gold Store with a capital of 40,000 yuan are included. According to the records in the archives of Tianjin Chamber of Commerce, the earliest and oldest gold shop in Tianjin is Hengli Gold Shop. After liberation, financial assets were owned by the state. At this point, Hengli Jindian and Old Hengli Bank closed down according to law, and all the remaining funds were used to repay debts and lay off employees. The history of the "four constants" is completely over. Transferred to Tianjin Hengli, a joint venture with Zhejiang fellow villagers Zhu and Zhou. After the capital increase and share expansion, Hengli Gold Store hired Zhou Yinchu, a senior employee of Wuhualou Gold Store who has great influence in Tianjin gold store industry, as the manager, specializing in red gold, tattooed silver jewelry, bracelets and other accessories, which greatly improved the quality and grade of accessories and gradually raised Tianjin gold store industry to a new level. Soon, the store moved from Juyi Street to Xu Jie Street in the Japanese Concession. In order to expand its business, a branch named Hengli Jin Dian Xiahao (Xu Jie Store is called Haohao) was opened next to the China Grand Theatre in the French Concession. The gold and silver jewelry produced has good color, sufficient weight, fine craftsmanship and genuine goods. In particular, the gold-wrapping technology is superior, and gold-wrapping jewelry is more popular among the middle and lower class citizens, farmers and ethnic minorities in the city, becoming a necessary thing for marriage and marriage. Therefore, there has been a big improvement in business, and the annual dividend has become the main source of income for Dong Shijia. Jim Chou, manager of Hengli Gold Store, was elected as the director of Tianjin General Chamber of Commerce, which shows the important position of Tianjin Gold Store in Tianjin business. 1940 or so, 104 gold and silver jewelry industry is listed as the most famous shop in Tianjin. Only Hengli Gold Store with a history of 200 years and a capital of 654.38+10,000 yuan and Zhengyang Gold Store with a capital of 40,000 yuan are included. According to the records in the archives of Tianjin Chamber of Commerce, the earliest and oldest gold shop in Tianjin is Hengli Gold Shop. After liberation, financial assets were owned by the state. At this point, Hengli Jindian and Old Hengli Bank closed down according to law, and all the remaining funds were used to repay debts and lay off employees. The history of the "four constants" is completely over.