Former Site of Shengtaihe Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop

Former Site of Shengtaihe Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop

The former site of Shengtaihe Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop is a cultural relic protection unit of Rugao City.

Former Site of Shengtaihe Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop

Located at No. 1-1, Xixinggong Lane, it was built in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, with a total floor area of approximately 120 square meters and a brick-and-wood structure. Although it has undergone later modifications such as plastering and reinforcement, its main architectural style remains. It originally served as the premises for the Shengtaihe Traditional Chinese Medicine business. The pharmacy was a long-established and prestigious century-old shop, founded by Zhu Shengtai during the late Qing Dynasty. He was an expert in herbal medicine and initially sold herbs, as well as tonics such as ginseng, deer antler, bird’s nest, and tremella, from a medicinal herb stall on North Street. Thanks to his diligence, frugality, and honest treatment of customers, the business thrived. A few years later, he officially opened “Shengtaihe Traditional Chinese Pharmacy” on the main street of the city (now Xixinggong Lane on North Street). The front section served as the retail shop, while the rear sections were used as workshops for processing prepared medicines and storage for medicinal materials. The surviving structure is the former living quarters of the pharmacy staff, where Zhu Jijin, a descendant of the founder, still resides. This is also the childhood home of Zhu Jijin’s granddaughter, Dr. Xiaowei Zhuang, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.