One should be interested in how Quanjude was established.

Quanjude was established in 1864 during the Qing Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Tongzhi.

Although Peking roast duck can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty (1206 -1368), Quanjude's heritage of roast duck preparation - whereby using open ovens and non-smoky hardwood fuel such as Chinese date, peach, or pear to add a subtle fruity flavor with a golden crisp to the skin - was originally reserved for the imperial families.

The first Quanjude manager, Yang Renquan, started selling chicken and ducks and paid a retired chef from the palace for the imperial recipe.

Soon afterwards, Quanjude became the first restaurant in the world to serve roast duck from the imperial kitchen to public audiences.

Yang Renquan opened his first, small Dejuquan (得聚全), inside Yangrou Hutong in Qianmen (前门), which at the time was one of the busiest areas in Beijing. His restaurant became an instant success and has since grown into the current branch in Qianmen that employs over 400 staff members. It also serves 900 guests at one time. The Qianmen restaurant, along with many other Quanjude branches, together form one of the largest food enterprises in the nation.

But, do you know what Quanjude means? “Quan (全) means perfection without a flaw, Ju (聚) means gathering without departing, and De (德) means virtues to be supreme.” Therefore, Quanjude together implies perfection, union, and benevolence.