Therestaurantisprettyhumble-looking.Itsfrontdoorcanonlyletonepatroninatatime.Anoldwoodenplaqueengravedwith“thefirstprivaterestaurantinChina”isproudlyhungoutside.It’snotwidelyknownthatthishumbleeaterywasapioneerthatkickedoffawaveofprivatelymanagedrestaurantsinBeijing.
OpenedaheadofSchedule
Fourdecadesago,individualandprivateeconomywasanabstractterminChina.UntilApril9,1979,inacommentonthereportofthemeetingsoftheStateAdministrationforIndustryandCommerce(SAIC),theStateCouncil,forthefirsttime,madeadecisiontorecoveranddeveloptheindividualeconomy,andagreedtoissuebusinesslicensestoindividualrepairmanandhandicraftworkers.
In1980,LiuGuixianandherhusband,GuoPeiji,openedYueBinRestaurant.TheygotBeijing’sfirstbusinesslicenseforprivaterestaurantownershipwiththelicensenumber001.Thecouplebecamethefirstwiththecouragetotrysomethingnew.
Fiveingredientsrolls,porkhockwithmashedgarlic,stir-friedshrimp,friedglutenballswithcabbage–thesearethesignaturedishesonthemenu.Theyareservedhotonwhiteporcelainplates.Cookscomeandgo,andnowthefamily’sthirdgenerationrunstherestaurant,buttheflavorandtheingredientsarestillLiu’sowncreationfrom38yearsago.
Nearlyfourdecadesago,GuoPeijiworkedasacookatastate-ownedenterpriseandearnedRMB30ormoreamonth(aboutUS$19then).Hiswifewasanannyandcookedinthehouseofahigh-rankinggovernmentofficial.Theyhadfivechildrenandlivedontheirmonthlysalaries.Intheearly1980s,itwashardtoprovidejobsfor14millionyouthwhohadjustreturnedtothecityfromthecountryside.
In1979,thankstoaproposalbyDengXiaoping,selfemployedbusinessesbegantosprouttoalleviatetheunemploymentpressure.InFebruarythatyear,theSAICsubmittedaproposaltohigher-levelauthorities,suggestingthatgovernmentsatalllevelsmay,inaccordancewiththeneedsofthelocalmarket,approvesomejoblesspeoplewithaformalhukoutoengageinsuchindividualbusinessesasrepairingandhandicrafts,buttheywerenotallowedtohireemployees.
ItwasthefirstproposalonindividualeconomyapprovedbytheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChinaandtheStateCouncilafterthe“culturalrevolution”(1966-1976).
GuoPeijistillrememberedonethingaboutZengXianzhi,wifeofGeneralYeJianying.AfterhertriptoEngland,ZengsaidthattheChinesefoodinEnglandcouldnotholdacandletoLiu’scookingandsuggestedthatsheopenarestaurantinBeijing,somethingthecouplehadneverthoughtintheirwildestdreams.WhenZengmentioneditagain,thecouplebegantoworkonawrittenrequest.Aftergettingapprovalfromtheirsubdistrictoffice,theywentontoapplyforabusinesslicenseforopeningaprivaterestaurant.
Atthattime,theonlyauthorizedself-employedbusinesseswereforrepairersandartisans,butnoclearpoliciesonothersectorswereavailable.Unlikeotherapplicants,LiuimpressedJinYunping,thendeputydirectorofBeijingAdministrationforIndustryandCommerce,withherperseveranceanddetermination:shewenthereeveryday,beingstrong-minded.
“Aswewantedtolaunchatrialatthattime,afterdiscussionweagreedtogiveheraspecialapproval,”Jinsaid.Astherewerenoprintedbusinesslicenses,theyissuedawrittenone,signedandsealed.Inthisway,LiuobtainedthefirstbusinesslicensetomanageaprivaterestaurantinBeijing.TheopeningofYueBinRestaurantin1980.Theyconvertedthreeroomsoftheirone-storeyhouseintotherestaurant.Thebrickstobuildthekitchenwereprocuredonloan.Liuboughtfourusedtablesand15chairs,andmadetheirstoveoutofanoldbarrelforroastingsweetpotatoes.
ThecoupledecidedtoopenitonOctober1,1980.OnthemorningofSeptember30,GuowenttoworkasusualandLiuboughtfourduckstomakedishesforneighborstotryfirst.Intheafternoon,uponreturning,Guosawalonglineextendingtotheendofthealley.Hisneighborstoldhim:“Whydidyougotoworktoday?Manyforeignershavecometoyourrestaurant!”
AWeightofftheMind
TheopeningofChina’sfirstprivaterestaurantwasreportedbytheUnitedPressInternational(UPI)agency:IntheheartofChina,privatebusinessisrevitalizedwithdeliciousculinaryofferingsinanarrowalley.
LiumadeRMB38onthefirstdayofopening,equivalenttothemonthlysalaryofaworkerthen.Therestauranthadfourtables,servingonly14or15customersaday.Toeatthere,customershadtomakeareservationandsomeevenwaitedmorethan60daysfortheirturn.
Atthattime,Chinesepeopledidnotgotorestaurantsoften,asthepriceofamealcouldcostasmuchaswhatawage-earners’familyspentonfoodforawholeweek.MostcustomerswereforeignersandChinesepeoplefromhighofficials’families,orjournalists.Sometimesinadaytherewere20to30journalists.Liuledthemtothepatioandopenedthekitchenwindowtoanswerquestionswhileshecooked.
OncetheU.S.embassybookedtheplace,payingRMB10perperson,farhigherthanthenormalprice.Unlikethelocals,peoplefromtheembassyatequietlywithnocommentsonfood.Liuwasquiteconfused,anditwasnotuntilallthedisheswerefinisheddidsherealizethatshehaddoneagoodjob.
YueBin’spopularityalsoprovokedcontroversy.“Therewasalotofcriticismsayingwewantedtostageacomebackforcapitalism,asaresultofwhich,mydaughteralmostcouldnotgetmarried,”Guosaid,backtheneverydayafterwork,hestoppedridingbikeandinsteadwalkedhomewhenheenteredthehutong,incasepeopleknewhewasoutsideandpointedtheirfingers.
OnthemorningoftheNewYearof1981,VicePremiersYaoYilinandChenMuhuavisitedthecouple.“Theytoldusnottobeafraid,whichmadeustotallyrelieved,”Guosaid.In2018,YueBinisstillthesmallrestaurantinasmallalley.StickingtoTradition
InOctober1981,theCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChinaandtheStateCouncilissueddecisionsonpromotingeconomicdevelopmentandcreatingmorejobsinurbanareas.Itclearlyrecognizedandapprovedself-employedworkers.Theprivateeconomy,bannedformanyyears,emergedagainwithprivaterestaurantsmushroomingacrossthecapital.
YueBinwassosuccessfulthattheGuo’sfamilysawanannualincomeofRMB10,000.TheyalsopaidofftheirbankloanofRMB500withinonlythreemonths.Inthebeginning,theywerenotallowedtohireemployees,sotheirchildreneitherworkedhereorhelpedwhenfree.
In1992,LiuopenedachainrestaurantcalledYueXianseveralmetersawayfromYueBin.Herdaughterquitherjobandworkedthereasanaccountant.
Thetworestaurantsunderwentchangesfromtimetotime.Liuwasquitestrictwithhersonwhenitcametopayingtaxes.“Maybethatiswhymydadsentmetolearnaccountingforourbusiness,”Liu’sgranddaughterrecalled.
Overthepast38years,thestreetsandalleysofBeijinghavebecomefilledwithallkindsofrestaurantswithflavorsoftheworld.ButYueBinisstillthesmallrestaurantinasmallalley:whitewall,smalltables,ballpens,carbonpaper,andanoldabacus.
TimeseemstobeatastandstillinYueBin.Itsdecorationisstillthe1990sstyle.Themaindishesneverchangeandarestillservedinwhiteporcelainplates.Whenreceivingthepayment,therestaurantownerstillusestheoldabacusinsteadofadvancedcountingmachines.Paymentisonlyacceptedbycashandonlyrecentlythroughmobilephones.
Eventhechefhasworkedhereforover10years.HeJianjun,theheadchef,cameherein2005fromhishometowninnorthwestChina’sGansuProvince.HeworkedhiswayuptoheadcheffromawaiterandtaughtthecrafttotheyoungerfamilymembersofGuo.“ThecookingskillsIlearnedherearenotapplicableelsewhere.Weonlyusethesimplestseasoningsuchassoysauceandvinegartomakedishestasteful.”Healsomethiswifeintherestaurant.YueBinhasbeenpartofhislife.
Theeateryisalsofrequentedbyneighbors.AtnoononApril11,fouroldladiesoverseventywerewaitingoutsidefortheirturn.“I’vebeeneatingheresinceitopened.ThefamilyandIarealreadyfriends.Iliketheirdeep-friedmeatballsthemost,”oneofthemsaid.
Overthedecades,societyhaschangedgreatlyandquickly,whichposesmanyproblemstothesmallrestaurant.Itisthesameoldsmallplace,simplydecorated,receivingnotake-outordersandhavingnomorechainrestaurants.Someonlinecommentsareprettyskepticaloftheirold-fashionedmanagement.
However,infact,thewholefamilyhasdiscussedtheseproblemsmanytimes.They’verejectedexternalcooperationwithcarefulconsiderationincaseYueBinbecamesomethingtotallydifferentfromwhatthefoundersaimedforittobe.
GuoHua,Guo’sgranddaughter,saidthattheirfamilyhadbeendevotedtotheoperationoftherestaurantfordecades,sotheyneedtobeprudent.“Ifwestartedanewone,wecertainlyknowhowtooperateitonalargescale,howtoservesmallportionsofdelicatedishestoincreaseprofits.ButwewillnottakeYueBintotryourluck.It’salegacyofmygrandparents.”
HavingbeenmanagedbythreegenerationsoftheGuofamily,YueBinisawitnesstothechangesandinnovationsinthepastthreedecades.“Mygrandparentswerewhollydevotedtothisrestaurant,whichisthereasonwhywecherishitsomuch.Forus,thebigchallengeremainshowtomanageitwellinthenewera,”saidGuoHua.
WANGJIAHUIisajournalistwithTheBeijingNews.