Zhengyanglou is a restaurant on the east side of Qianmen Street. It is one of the eight famous restaurants in old Beijing and was opened during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. The predecessor of Zhengyanglou was a small wine stall. The owner's name was Sun Xiaobian, and he was from Ye County, Shandong. His hometown suffered from a severe drought, so he came to Beijing to make a living. During the day, he went out to find work, and at night he stayed in a dilapidated temple in the Qianmen Grinding Factory. Over time, he got to know a few fellow villagers, who helped Sun Xiaobian open a small wine stall on the east side of Qianmen Street. At that time, the streets were full of frauds and fake wines and fake medicines, but the wine sold by Sun Xiaobian was not adulterated. In addition, he had a good attitude and was popular, so many customers were willing to come to his small wine stall to have a few drinks. The small wine stall was very popular, and the staff seemed to be tight, so he called his eldest son Sun Xueren from his hometown. Relying on his cleverness and intelligence, Sun Xueren became his father's right-hand man. A few years later, Sun Xiaobian had some savings, so he thought about finding a shop. Coincidentally, there was a tavern on Qianmen Street that wanted to close down, so Sun Xiaobian asked someone to buy the tavern and renamed it Zhengyanglou, hoping to borrow the name of Zhengyangmen to make his business as prosperous as the sun at noon. After the Zhengyanglou tavern opened, seats were set up upstairs and downstairs. In addition to the usual boiled peanuts, rose dates, fried pork chops, small crispy fish, spicy cabbage, mutton head meat and pork strips, there were also big crabs in autumn. The white wine and yellow wine sold were never adulterated, so the business became more and more prosperous. During the Guangxu period, Sun Xiaobian's son Sun Xueren became the shopkeeper. He invited several chefs who were good at cooking Shandong-style dishes from his hometown in Shandong, and Zhengyanglou jumped from a tavern to a restaurant. Later, Shopkeeper Sun opened a pastry shop called Zhengmingzhai in the Roushi Street of Qianmen Street. The restaurant was managed by a man named Sun Xueshi. In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a conflict between Sun Xueren and Tangbei, which led to a lawsuit. After mediation, Sun Xueren gave Zhengyanglou to Sun Xueshi. Sun Xueshi was a sociable person and had friends from all walks of life. During the Republic of China, Sun Xueshi became a well-known figure in the business world and joined the Chamber of Commerce. In the 12th year of the Republic of China, Sun Xueshi became the president of the Beijing Chamber of Commerce. Not only in the business world, but also in the military and political circles at that time, he had a certain position. Due to the improvement of Sun Xueshi's social status, Zhengyanglou Restaurant also had unprecedented development. At that time, there were many guests every day, and many important figures in the military and political circles, such as Yuan Shikai, Li Yuanhong, Duan Qirui, etc., became regular guests of Zhengyanglou, and even some important banquets were held here. Zhengyanglou Restaurant was very popular, not only due to Sun Xueshi's superior status and excellent popularity, but also because the food in Zhengyanglou was indeed delicious. Especially big crabs and shabu-shabu mutton are favored by customers. It is said that every autumn, people who love to eat crabs have to go to Zhengyanglou to taste steamed crabs. As we all know, crabs are the fattest and strongest in autumn. Therefore, every autumn, Zhengyanglou sends shop assistants to the coastal area of Tianjin to buy crabs. They select big and alive crabs from local fishermen, put them in special baskets and transport them back to Beijing. First, let the crabs spit out the debris for two days, and then the shop assistants clean the crabs, tie their claws and large pliers with fine hemp ropes, and put them in a large steamer to steam them. When eating, dip them in fresh ginger and rice vinegar to remove the cold and enhance the flavor. It is said that Zhengyanglou specially prepared small hammers, small pliers, small tweezers and small wooden boards to make it easier for customers to eat crabs. Every year when the beginning of autumn comes, Zhengyanglou adds shabu-shabu mutton. The sheep used were all purchased from outside the country by a special person. There was a sheep pen near Yongdingmen. The sheep were first put into the sheep pen to feed for a period of time, and then slaughtered after they were fat. After the sheep were slaughtered, the skin was peeled first, and then the meat was pressed according to the parts, that is, the mutton was placed on ice and a piece of ice was pressed on it. After a day and a night, the fishy smell in the mutton was pressed out, and the meat was easy to cut. According to the old people, eating shabu-shabu mutton in Zhengyanglou, the emphasis is on the full condiments. The condiments here include small-milled sesame oil, sesame paste, fermented tofu, chives, soy sauce, rice vinegar, braised shrimp oil, chili oil, pepper oil, cooking wine, sugar garlic, cabbage, coriander, pickled cabbage, vermicelli, etc. There are nearly twenty kinds of fresh mushrooms in the hot pot. The meat is good, the slices are thin, the seasonings are complete, and the soup is fresh. For a time, Zhengyanglou Restaurant became the best restaurant recognized by everyone in Beijing. During the Japanese occupation, the business of Zhengyanglou was not as good as before, prices soared, and various necessities were in short supply. In the early 1940s, Zhengyanglou, like many restaurants in Beijing, closed down. In 1986, in order to boost the market and restore the old brand in Beijing, Zhengyanglou Restaurant resumed business on the east side of Qianmen Street and changed its name to Zhengyangmen Restaurant. Contact number: 67021586 Address: (Chongwen Store) Opposite Zhengyangmen, Qianmen, Chongwen District (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)