Chapter 38 Yihua Palace

The emergence of Western restaurants in Beijing was later than that in Shanghai and Tianjin. Yipinxiang in Shanghai and Lishunde in Tianjin began to operate western restaurants as early as the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty.The oldest western restaurant in Beijing is the Xieyingfan restaurant opened in the headlines of Langfang outside Qianmen. It was also founded in the late Qing Dynasty, a little later than Shanghai and Tianjin.The company's popularity is not big, but since it had no competitors in the early stage, it has been really prosperous for a while, and it also has a flexible business model. In addition to meals, meals, coffee and refreshments, it also includes delivery services.Therefore, it has been maintained for more than 30 years until it closed down in the late 1930s.

After the Republic of China, the number of Western restaurants in Beijing gradually increased, such as Laijin Yuxuan in Zhongshan Park, Hanji Restaurant at the west entrance of Chuanban Hutong on Chongnei Street, Senlong Restaurant in Dong’an Market, Damei Restaurant in Xidan South, and Dongdan North Restaurant. Fusheng Canteen in Main Street, Xinhua in Qianwai Shanxi Lane, Huamei in Qianmen Nei Judicial Street, Taian Red House in Dongdan Santiao, Guoqiang and Jishilin in the South Garden of Dongan Market, and Huagong Canteen in the north of Donganmen Street.After liberation, the Peace Restaurant at the southern end of Dong'an Market, the Cultural Restaurant in the Nanheyan European and American Scholars Association, the Moscow Restaurant in the Beijing Exhibition Hall, the Xinqiao Restaurant in the Xinqiao Hotel, and the Dadi Restaurant next to the Chang'an Theater.Among these western restaurants, Laijin Yuxuan and Senlong operate both Chinese and Western restaurants, and later the Western restaurant business gradually came to a standstill.Guoqiang was originally a cafe that also sold Western food, but was later replaced by Heping Restaurant, and was once moved to the east side of the shopping mall on Cuiwei Road in the western suburbs.Hanji Restaurant is an intestine shop downstairs and a western restaurant upstairs. As for Damei, Huamei, and Taian Red House, the operating hours are not too long.Ermiaotang in Dashilan, Ronghuazhai in Dong’an Market, and Bosixin in Zhongshan Park are all cafes, mainly dealing in pastries, snacks and sandwiches, not Western restaurants.The Heping, Xinqiao and Moscow restaurants that opened after liberation are all state-run, with large scale and exquisite decoration. They serve English, French and Russian-style western food, which is incomparable to the old western restaurants.

It spans the two eras of old and new China, and the one that has been in business for a long time is the Huagong Canteen.The Hua Palace was founded in the mid-1930s and closed in the early 1960s. For more than 30 years, the location and scale have remained the same. It is not easy for such a long time in the form of a "small country with few people". The founders of Huagong were Wang Aiyi and Wang Tanshu. In the 1950s, I remember that the manager, whose surname was Yang, was short and bald, spoke Tianjin dialect, and was very enthusiastic.Both my grandmother and grandfather were frequent visitors to Huagong.Therefore, in my childhood, Huagong was a place I often visited, and I couldn't be more familiar with it.The environment and operation there are still fresh in my memory.

Huagong is located at the Beijing branch of the Bank of China on Dong'anmen Street today. On the opposite side of the road is the former China Philatelic Company and Children's Theater (the original Zhenguang Theater, founded in 1921, was renamed Beijing Theater in February 1950, and was renamed China Children's Theater in 1961. ).These three places have formed an indissoluble bond with my childhood.When I was a child, I was far less interested in Huagong than the two places opposite it. China Philatelic Company started its business on Dong'anmen Street in January 1955, selling stamps of New China and stamps of some socialist countries.To this day, this two-story gray brick building still faces Dong'anmen Street as before. Although it has undergone more than 40 years of vicissitudes and interior renovations, the exterior structure has not changed at all.It was precisely because I went to Hua Palace with my elders for dinner that I got to know this philatelic company. It opened a window in my childhood vision, and I got to know those colorful little paper heads, which showed a strange splendor. into the world of the world, and thus into that world, never to come out.Today, it is the office of the All-China Philatelic Federation, and I was the second and third national director of the All-China Philatelic Federation, and a member of the National Academic Committee, and I still have a close relationship with it.Forty years of fate, it cannot but be said that it has a direct relationship with Huagong.

The rest of my life is also late, I did not catch up with the era of real light cinema, but I did catch up with the two periods of Beijing theater and Chinese children's theater. Years ago, the Capital Theater had not yet been completed, and the famous dramas of Beijing People's Art Theater, such as "Longxugou", "Thunderstorm", etc., were staged here.Later, it was once handed over to the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe.Since 1958, it has been taken over by the China Children's Theater. I have watched many children's dramas such as "Malanhua" there, and I have also formed an indissoluble bond with drama and opera. Until today, drama and opera are still A part of my life and work is also closely related to going to Huagong.

Today, the two buildings in the south of Dong'anmen Street still have the same style and appearance. Every time they pass by here, they can always bring back many childhood memories. Forty years seem to be just a moment in the unchanged space.It's just that there is no trace of the Hua Palace opposite them. The shop in Huagong is not big, surrounded by a circle of "train seat" rectangular tables and chairs, with four or five square tables in the middle, which can accommodate up to thirty people dining at the same time.The surrounding walls are painted with light green paint, and the decoration is very simple.I remember that the menu at that time was pressed under the glass plate on the table, and there was no hardcover menu like today's restaurants.In addition to a la carte dishes, there are also serving meals, which are divided into several levels, such as one dish and one soup, bread, butter, jam and black tea, and two dishes and one soup, three dishes and one soup.Of course, the a la carte dishes should be more delicate.But there are only 20 or 30 varieties, which are far less rich than the later Heping, Xinqiao and Moscow restaurants.Compared with the cultural restaurant of the Nanheyan European and American Scholars Association, it is also more popular.Of course, this is for ordinary diners, but my grandmother and grandfather are very familiar with the fat shopkeeper Yang, so the treatment is naturally different. Every time I go to Huagong, I don’t look at the menu and prepare it specially. The fat shopkeeper Yang speaks authentic Tianjin dialect came forward to make suggestions, and even cook to make it by himself.

Huagong's roasted dishes and pot stews are the best. If they are carefully crafted, they will surpass Heping and Xinqiao.Such as grilled prawns in gravy, grilled sea bass in butter, grilled mixed with gravy, canned beef, canned chicken, as well as fried flounder and asparagus in clear soup, etc., are all very authentic.The pot stewing there is not like some western restaurants today, which put the big pot of red stewed beef or chicken into porcelain pots and serve them on the table. Instead, they are stewed in glazed pottery pots over low heat from the beginning to the end. The most particular process is Before getting on the fire, use a layer of raw batter at the joint between the lid and the jar, and then put it on the fire to simmer. When the simmering is completed, the layer of raw noodles will also be browned.My old grandmother used to visit the kitchen and "monitor" the completion of this process.Asparagus (asparagus), my maternal grandfather's favorite food, is also something you don't see in recipes.Other gratin dishes also need special additions and meticulous workmanship. Therefore, except for my old grandmother and grandfather, I can't enjoy this kind of treatment when I go with my parents or other people.

It is said that Fatty Shopkeeper Yang used to be the chef of Mo Dielin, and his craftsmanship was very good. Later, he went to Huagong as a manager. He walked around and looked around, but did not actually operate it.What impresses me the most is that his belly is always full and big, and the white uniform on his upper body is too small, and the last two buttons always pop open.How he took over the restaurant from Wang Aiyi and Wang Tanshu is unknown.In the 1960s, the shopkeeper Yang, the fat man, seemed to be aging, and he had a long life. It is said that he had a stroke later.In stark contrast to him was a guy from Huagong. He was thirty-seven or eighteen years old at the time, very thin and tall, with two very thick eyebrows, which left a deep impression on people, but he was very handsome. Affable, I enjoyed playing with him while waiting for the food to be served, he was extremely patient and never rushed.I heard that he had some kind of disease, and my grandmother and grandfather cared about him very much, and often brought him some medicine.So he was very kind to us too.After Huagong closed, he was transferred to the Heping Restaurant in Dong'an Market and worked as a waiter downstairs. Whenever I went to the Heping Restaurant for dinner, he was also very enthusiastic.

Huagong's business has always been very good. Of course, it is also due to its geographical location and environment. Facing competitors, it is calm.Zhou Dawen, who used to be the former mayor of Beiping, was very interested in cooking. He once partnered with several friends to open a Xinyue Western restaurant near Huagong. Poor management has put the flag to rest, but Huagong remains the same.The Jishilin in Dong'an market is slightly larger, but they are not disturbed by each other, and each has its own customer base. In 1955, the China Philatelic Company opposite opened, which also brought some business to it.I saw Mr. Xia Yan, Professor Zhou Yibai and Mr. Zhang Congyu, well-known philatelists at the time in Huagong.Mr. Wang Jize, a philatelist from Shanghai, came to Beijing and also went to Huagong for a meal and a rest.Many directors and actors of the Beijing Theater opposite are frequent visitors here.

Huagong has been in business for more than 30 years, and the name of the store has always been Huagong Canteen, which can be said to be the most popular name.Its façade is plain and its shops are neither luxurious nor daunting.However, the genuine food, authentic food, and warm service make people feel at home. I think this is why it has existed for more than 30 years in both the old and new eras.