The death of his wife was a big blow to Fu Jie, who was already 80 years old.
After the funeral, he suffered a minor illness. After he recovered, he seemed to have lost all energy and energy, and even went to the "Palace Culture Research Association" less often.
However, for the "Palace Culture Training Association", it has made some real achievements at this time.
It's a bit prosperous and famous, which makes all members of the association very happy.
The first book "Taste of the Forbidden City - Palace Food Illustration" compiled by Daqing in the name of "Palace Culture Research Association" has finally been officially published.
And once it was launched, it caused quite a stir in related cultural research fields and among major restaurants in Beijing.
This book was published by Wenjin Publishing House, which was just established in early June this year.
Speaking of which, it is a coincidence that it was published at this time.
Originally, due to the ISBN issue, even if it relied on Ning Weimin's face, the publication of this book would have to be scheduled for early next year at the earliest.
Unexpectedly, in early June this year, the Beijing Propaganda Department actually established this publishing house that specializes in self-financed publishing.
Its purpose is to use money to do things and bear the expenses yourself.
Its characteristic is that you take responsibility for the text and own the copyright.
So as soon as Liu Weijing, who was in charge of the general affairs of the association, learned of the news, he immediately tried to contact and negotiate in the name of the "Palace Culture Research Association".
Unexpectedly, the feedback from the other party was very positive, and the problem of waiting in line for publication was instantly solved.
In this way, Liu Weijing finally solved this major issue with only 25,000 yuan, released it half a year ahead of schedule, and printed 2,000 copies.
I have to say, this is also a kind of luck.
But the most important thing is that this book is by no means a meaningless publication, but has practical significance.
Its most distinctive features lie in three points.
The first is that the pictures and texts are rich, the information is comprehensive, and the printing quality is quite good.
The food in the Forbidden City has always been talked about by the general public, and there are already several books on the market focusing on the food of the Ming and Qing palaces.
But these books published in the past were either pure text content.
Either the photo is not clear, or there is very little photo information.
However, with the help of the summary and compilation of Fu Jie and his wife and many experts, as well as the oral information and practical exercises provided by Zhang Dashao as an insider, these issues have been solved in this book "Taste of the Forbidden City - Illustrated Catalog of Palace Food".
Not a problem anymore.
Almost every delicacy in the book is paired with a photo of the real thing.
Even the utensils have become quite sophisticated with the support of Tan Gong Restaurant, which is very in line with the actual situation of that year.
The printing uses the best paper and the best technology.
Not to mention anything else, the pure production cost is as high as ten yuan per copy.
In this era when a novel in mainland China cost only one or two yuan, it was simply astronomical.
It has more than 500 pages and is printed on coated paper in two volumes. It not only improves the level of the book, but is also a rare luxury production among domestic publications.
Can you imagine the quality?
The second point is that this book is rich in content and highly practical.
There are other similar books on the market now. Some of them introduce seasonal delicacies based on palace regulations and time order.
Some of them tell the stories of the royal diet by categories according to the ingredients.
Some start from the establishment of the palace kitchen and describe the establishment and operation mode of the palace kitchen.
Even before her death, Sagahiro once published a book called "Food in the Palace" based on her personal experience, in which she roughly described the dietary situation of the last palace that she knew.
However, before the publication of "Taste of the Forbidden City - Palace Catering Catalog", there was no book that discussed palace dining from the perspective of a chef, and there was no book that could teach people how to cook palace dishes.
Therefore, this book is particularly rare, especially here.
Thanks to the help of Zhang Dashao and some of his old friends in the kitchen industry, he is definitely top-notch in terms of professionalism.
Not only are almost every dish listed with ingredients and cooking methods, but also excerpts from the Qing Dynasty meal list are included under each category to show readers the authentic taste of palace cuisine.
It also systematically introduces the preparation work of different departments in the imperial kitchen, clarifies the difference between palace cooking and folk cooking, reveals the reasons why palace dishes are so wasteful, and also introduces some cooking tips that even professional chefs may not know.
Written in the book.
In addition, the editing team composed mainly of experts also used a large number of new historical materials to embody a large number of cultural anecdotes in the food.
A clearer introduction to the evolution and traditions of palace cuisine.
It can be said that this book is both readable and practical.
It is not only suitable for food lovers, cooking enthusiasts and palace history lovers to read, but it is especially helpful for the actual work of professional chefs.
The third point is that this book breaks the rules and introduces the personal situations of some imperial chefs in the Qing Dynasty and the dishes they are good at.
It has to be said that this is the first time that the contribution and achievements of these hard-working chefs to the development of food have been recognized in an official published book, which is equivalent to establishing a monument for these people.
At the same time, this book also clarifies the context of the inheritance of palace cooking skills, and provides a more objective introduction to the general situation of the imperial chefs' development after liberation.
To a certain extent, this has also played a role in "anti-counterfeiting" to rectify the source. At least it can curb some "fake royal chefs" who are making false claims in the mainland catering industry, and use fraud to ruin the reputation of palace cuisine.
What makes Zhang Dashao particularly gratified is that although he himself is not listed in this book.
However, his grandfather and father were both written in this book as famous chefs respectively.
This was enough to satisfy him.
In fact, this is what he is more happy to see than personal fame.
In short, after this book "Taste of the Forbidden City - Palace Food Catalogue" was released.
Although the price is too expensive, priced at 30 yuan per set, the sales volume is not very high.
I'm afraid only some professional units and a small number of individuals will spend money to purchase it.
But I have to say that this book has received a great response from catering companies in various districts. It has also been highly recommended by the hotel association to famous catering restaurants in other places and has been highly praised by many chefs.
Especially those famous restaurants in the capital that sell palace dishes are rushing to buy them first and organize key employees to learn from them.
Relevant newspapers and periodicals such as China Food News, Travel News, and Hong Kong City Herald also published articles to introduce and promote this book.
Judging from the widely praised response in the industry, there is no doubt that the publication of this book has a great impact on Chinese catering culture and the promotion and popularization of palace cuisine in the capital. It is indeed a great thing that will last forever.
Not only that, there are also some audio and video materials related to the content of this book.
Including Zhang Dashao and the contemporary famous chefs hired back by Tan Gong Restaurant, some audio and video materials of their respective cooking demonstrations, as well as their oral histories of Qinxing in the capital, are also being compiled.
Eventually, a special documentary titled "Qin Xing in Beijing" will be produced based on these audio and video materials.
Moreover, since the people who filmed the documentary were all hired by Beijing TV, through their relationship, an agreement has been reached with Beijing TV to flash the feature film on the TV screen.
In addition, the "Beijing Industrial Art Industry Inheritance and Cultural Materials Compilation Department" is also not idle. They have also completed the collection of audio and video materials of some industries based on the information and personal support provided by many old craftsmen in the industrial art industry.
It is now fully expected that by the second half of this year, the two cultural associations funded by Ning Weimin will have more work results to promote the recovery and development of these industries.
It will certainly play a positive role in preserving and promoting national art and traditional skills.
So regarding the current status of the operation of the two associations.
The old craftsmen who provided them with information were very pleased and quite satisfied.
They have no doubts about Ning Weimin's original promise, and they are full of expectations and hopes for a future where these traditional industries can get rid of the current situation of being riddled with holes and crumbling, rejuvenated, and embark on a prosperous road as soon as possible.
Even Ning Weimin himself was full of a sense of accomplishment. He felt that he had done something meaningful and that the money he invested was really not in vain.
Don't tell me, it's only been a year, let him see some results.
To be honest, even though he invested money in two associations, it was a business destined to lose money, and in the long run, it would still be a bottomless pit.
But when it came to the things they took out, he really felt in his heart that the compensation wasn't big enough or ruthless enough.
So without saying a word, in view of the work efficiency of the two associations, he arranged another 800,000 yuan for Liu Weijing and asked her to distribute it by herself.
Nothing else, paying for this is much more valuable than supporting the national football team.
Even though they are both a matter of losing money, one is to earn face for the Chinese people and the other is purely embarrassing. The meanings are really different.
Of course, having said that, if you have a place to spend money, you must have a place to make money. If you can't just go in and out, you can't make ends meet.
Therefore, the old craftsmen are happy again, and Ning Weimin's funds are funds.
But he also had to make some appropriate arrangements for making money.
In particular, Ning Weimin also knew that his marriage cost a lot of money to his relatives and friends.
Therefore, he must also play tricks on his good friends and partners to get their health back, otherwise he will be embarrassed when facing these people.
Needless to say, among them, Zhang Shihui, Gu Si'er, Sun Wufu, Yin Yue, Luo Guangliang, and Xiao Tao were naturally the people Ning Weimin was closest to and most trusted in the country.
Ning Weimin could not help but give them personal instructions on how to deal with the situation.
The first is Zhang Shihui, this guy is getting rich now.
As the first partner to do business with Ning Weimin, it must be said that Ning Weimin took the sweetest deal and partnered with him.
Today's Huimin Cigarette Hotel is a booming business.
With the help of Sister Tan, the business of recycling old tobacco and alcohol has been fully launched.
The monthly transaction volume ranges from RMB 30,000 to 40,000 to as high as RMB 50,000 to RMB 50,000, and the profit is at least twice as much.
In addition, Zhang Shihui's tobacco and alcohol wholesale business is booming.
With Tan Palace Restaurant, Maxim Restaurant and Temple of Heaven Park as sales channels, his monthly shipment volume is 1,340,000 yuan, and the profit can be 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, which is all money he can earn on his own.
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Even those cheap cigarettes and alcoholic drinks that are destined to lose money are not troublesome, but they are sent to handicraft factories and polar bear factories, as well as to Huimin Reading Club.
The cheap price can easily be snapped up by the workers and members of the reading club.
I only lose five to six thousand yuan per month on this.
Inside and outside, he can easily earn an income of 80,000 to 90,000 yuan a month by running a cigarette shop.
Of course, he and Ning Weimin split the money equally, but that's not bad.
In this day and age, how many people can arrange delivery every month without worrying or being in a hurry, and can make 40,000 to 50,000 yuan in vain?
What's more, with the growth of Pierre Cardon Company and the expansion of Ning Weimin's network of contacts, the business volume of the cigarette hotel is destined to increase simultaneously.
At least it can be clearly foreseen in advance that when the Pierre Cardon Hotel opens, the wholesale business of Huimin Cigarette Hotel will probably increase by 50%, and the profits will naturally increase a lot.
It is only natural that the land should not be left to outsiders.
To be honest, even Zhang Shihui himself is very satisfied.
Back then, his biggest ideal was to earn enough 50,000 yuan and achieve a lifetime of happiness.
But now, he can earn a "lifetime happiness" in a month, so what else can he be dissatisfied with?
What's more, now, in front of the boss of his Tan Gong Restaurant, he eats and drinks all day long, and drives a pickup truck owned by the restaurant, so he has almost no place to spend money.
It is precisely because of this that he is grateful and willing to spend money to buy face and support the public welfare undertakings of Ning Weimin Huimin Reading Club.
That's why he led others to "build" a "banknote fleet" worth more than 100,000 yuan for him for Ning Weimin's wedding.
In addition to wanting to be in the limelight, it was also because he felt that only in this way could he be worthy of his conscience and his friend Ning Weimin.
Therefore, his dedication and affection were exchanged for him a greater opportunity to make a fortune from Ning Weimin.
After Ning Weimin met with him, he personally instructed him that from now on, he would spare no effort to hoard Maotai and Wuliangye.
In addition to the necessary funds for operation, all the money in the tobacco shop's account was used to buy these two kinds of wine.
If the Sugar, Tobacco and Liquor Company cannot get it, then follow the old method of exchanging foreign exchange coupons and use the foreign exchange coupons to buy them from the Friendship Store.
In view of the fact that they have been hoarding Moutai and Wuliangye for a long time, especially the tobacco and alcohol recycling business of tobacco stores are also hoarding goods.
Therefore, Ning Weimin also specifically asked not to stop stocking up if there is not enough space in the cigarette shop.
You can go to Pierre Cardon Company first and ask Zou Guodong to borrow a few basement rooms in the Pierre Cardon Hotel on his behalf.
In short, first turn all the money in your hand into goods.
On the other hand, cigarette hotels need to reduce expenditure on their daily external supply.
Moutai and Wuliangye, except for the necessary supplies for Tan Gong Restaurant and Maxim Restaurant, will not sell goods to other companies.