Li Tongfa Trading Firm

Li Tongfa Trading Firm

Li Tongfa Trading Firm is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

Li Tongfa Trading Firm

Address: Leye Town, Longshan County

Time Period: Qing Dynasty ~ Republican Era

“Li Tongfa Trading Firm” was the largest trading firm in the Xiang-E-Chuan-Qian border region at the time. Over the course of 70 years, the glory of the Li Tongfa family is recorded not only by a street named after it. It was the commercial storefront of the renowned open-minded and patriotic businessman brothers Li Ruilin, and the firm was named “Tongxingheng,” which means the two brothers would prosper together. The locals, praising their deep brotherly bond, called them “Li Tongfa.” Thanks to their unique business acumen and a management strategy rooted in integrity and benevolence, the firm rapidly grew into the largest comprehensive trading firm in the Xiang-E-Chuan border region during the 1920s and 1930s. The firm owned its own fleet, a tung oil workshop, commercial storefronts, and the Tongfa Manor covering over 20 acres. Its working capital reached 10,000 barrels of tung oil by 1949, shortly before liberation, which equates to approximately 45 million yuan in today’s currency. “Li Tongfa” demonstrated great social responsibility. While creating the commercial development myth of Leye, it also provided disaster relief, supported poverty alleviation, and contributed to national economic construction. Notably, in 1950, in response to the national call, it donated a fighter plane to the Korean War effort (at the time, only Chang Xiangyu, Mei Lanfang, and Li Tongfa made such donations nationwide), and funded the establishment of the Leye Power Plant and Yumin Textile Mill, bringing benefits to the local community.

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hunan Province