The Oldest China Time-Honored Brands: Which Ones Really Date Back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties?
Liubiju, Zhang Xiaoquan, Chen Liji, Wang Laoji... Which time-honored brands truly have 400-500 years of history? We rank them by verifiable founding years.
Among the 'century-old time-honored brands,' there are also 'millennium-old veterans.' The following are ranked by verifiable founding years, all sourced from the Ministry of Commerce directory and public historical records; legends not found in official records are excluded.
Tier 1: Founded in the Ming Dynasty (over 400 years)
- Liubiju (pickled vegetables, circa 1530, 9th year of Jiajing reign)
- Zhang Xiaoquan (scissors, 1628, 1st year of Chongzhen reign)
- Chen Liji (traditional Chinese medicine, 1600, 27th year of Wanli reign)
Tier 2: Founded in the Early Qing Dynasty (over 300 years)
- Wang Laoji (herbal tea, 1828, 8th year of Daoguang reign)
- Tongrentang (traditional Chinese medicine, 1669, 8th year of Kangxi reign)
- Neiliansheng (cloth shoes, 1853, 3rd year of Xianfeng reign)
It should be noted that the 'founding years' of some brands are disputed in historical records; this list follows the Ministry of Commerce's recognized standards. To look up reliable years for specific brands, you can search in our brand database on this site.
Brands mentioned
Sources / Further reading
All content here is original analysis and roundup; data follows official sources such as the MOFCOM time-honored brand list. Please attribute when citing.