Looking back to the history of Tongrentang, one will be convinced by its profound cultural background. The Confucian principle of “advocating righteousness” has been imbued throughout its history for more than 300 years. Its history can be seen as a textbook displaying the harmonious development between economy and culture. Tongrentang has formed its own culture in the process of “Spreading traditional Chinese medicine, advocating the trend of green medicine and upgrading human living quality.”

The founders of Tongrentang believed that medicine was the best to safeguard life and relieve common people, so the undertaking they were dedicated to was noble and respectful. In subsequent generations, their heirs have upheld this belief, abiding to its old motto, “No manpower was to be spared, no matter how complicated the procedures of pharmaceutical production were, and no material was to be reduced, no matter how much the cost.” Despite different temptations under the market economy, Tongrentang has never regretted maintaining its tradition.

While many businessmen treat their customers with dishonesty, Tongrentang, on the contrary, seeks further development by relying on righteousness, honesty and mutual benefit. The good reputation that Tongrentang has won over 300 years simply comes from its obsession with righteousness and honesty. It has long followed the principle of making money through fair trade and seeking coordination between enterprise profit and public welfare.

The dreadful disaster of SARS attacked China in the spring of 2003. During the period, Tongrentang sold a total of three million dosages of anti-SARS herbal medicine that met the demands of one million people. However, every dose caused a two-yuan loss to its seller, and many other drug stores had to stop selling. Tongrentang did not. At the most desperate moment, Tongrentang's 61 drug stores undertook nearly half of the total anti-SARS medicine supply in Beijing.

Maintaining tradition doesn't necessarily mean that Tongrentang is conservative. The key to its success, on the contrary, is keeping pace with the times. Today, Tongrentang is changing from a traditional enterprise to a modern one, combining inheritance and innovation.

In its fight against SARS in 2003, Tongrentang expanded its business through cooperation with others and worked out such new concepts as the “Four Well-Treating,” the “Four Standards,” and the “Four Accelerators.”

The Four Well-Treating refer to “Treating society well, treating employees well, treating business partners well and treating investors well.” This concept shows not only Tongrentang's dedication to maximizing the rights and benefits of all related to it but also its new principle of development. It is applied in Tongrentang's operation, reform and development, and becomes its core value.

The Four Standards refer to “Attracting customers with Tongrentang's culture, encouraging employees with Tongrentang's spirit, advocating standardized management and remunerating investors with great profits.”

The Four Accelerators refer to “Speeding up branding, quickening coordinative development, promoting talented-personnel development and enriching its culture.”