The century-old turnaround of Dabei Photo Studio

In 1921, Dabei Photo Studio opened in Shitou Hutong. When it opened, it only had a two-story building with a front door, four or five bungalows, three apprentices, and only an old-fashioned mirror box. The "girls" from the surrounding "eight alleys" became the main customers in the early days of Dabei. It is said that the expansion of Dabei's storefront is also related to these "girls". The shrewd founder Zhao Yanchen has always wanted to buy the small courtyard behind the front door to expand the business area, but the owner will not leave unless he sells. Zhao Yanchen built a shed on the roof as a dressing room. The prostitute's high heels clicked on her head every day. The owner of the house was so angry and annoyed that he finally couldn't bear the humiliation and left. By the 1930s, Dabei's scale and reputation were among the best in Beijing. Mr. Wang Zuohong, who started working as an apprentice in Dabei at the age of 13, recalled that the living room in Dabei at that time was "more than 100 square meters, with ceramic tiles on the floor and a row of chairs around the wall, all made of rosewood or rosewood." Some people were not convinced and opened a "Zhenda" restaurant at the south entrance of Shitou Hutong, but failed to "control Dabei" as they wished. Dabei's dominance is not only due to its business strategy, but also its advanced hardware. The turnaround group photos that still allow Dabei to maintain its "supreme" status to this day had already begun at that time. Zhao Yanchen spent a lot of money to purchase turnaround equipment produced by Kodak to take group photos. Decades later, Kodak came to Dabei to discuss business. They were shocked by the quality of the group photos taken by Dabei and curiously asked where the cameras they used were produced. The manager of Dabei at the time replied: "Kodak Company, produced in the 1920s." To this day, there are still several transfer aircraft of the same age as Dabei in use.