During the Republic of China, sewing machines were gradually used in the sewing industry in Changsha, but Roche and her daughter occupied a place in the list of 200 celebrities in Changsha in the mid-1920s with their first eye-catching skills.
In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Guangxu period, there was a mother and daughter in Weaving Lane in Changsha (now the east section of Renmin West Road has been built). Due to family changes, it is extremely difficult to find a job and almost impossible to make a living. They have to sit against the wall outside the rented house in loom lane and make a living by sewing small eyes on other people's clothes. But this eye-mending Roche mother works with a needle and thread, "skillfully practicing stunts", and the small eyes on her clothes are sewn up with a line. The clothes it weaves are praised by people, so it is famous. From then on, expensive fabrics or clothes in silk and satin shops and ready-to-wear shops in Changsha, whether punctured by knives and scissors or burned by cigarette butts, were handed over to Roche Company in Loom Lane, demanding to make up for their achievements. Roche began to repair holes in expensive clothes at a price of 400 pence per hole. Then, the size of the hole and the price of the material were divided, and the salary was determined, even more than one string at a time.
However, in the past few decades, the Roche mother and daughter immediately prospered their family business. They bought the whole house rented by Loom Street and another house. By 1925, Roche is over 60 and his daughter is over 40. Roche's female eye surgery has always been passed on to her daughter, and others have come to learn it, but she has not been taught the secret. Moreover, although they have made a fortune, the mother and daughter have always adhered to the single life and lived together, but the business has always been prosperous.
When Lan Yan News Agency 1925 interviewed Roche's mother and daughter, Zhao Hengti was in charge of Hunan, and the price of copper coins was low. At this time, Roche's eye stickers only accept cash, which rises with the price increase. At that time, a small eye was added, and the starting price was one yuan.
Roche's mother and daughter started their own businesses to make a living, which has become an inspirational example for some women with special skills to strive for independent economic status.
The rice noodles made by Wu Youzhen, a "walking woman", are the best in the north gate of Changsha.
It was difficult for many women to find jobs in Changsha during the Republic of China, so a few women in Changsha became legends of the city through self-employment, and their stories were widely circulated in the city.
This is the story of the five-claw Wolong golden melon near the suspension bridge outside the north gate of Changsha. It is said that in 1929, a woman named Wu Youzhen and her two sons, Li Yihe and Li, opened a powder stall near the suspension bridge outside the north gate of Changsha. The next year, it was changed to a powder shop and named Hutchison. A year later, a pumpkin vine in the back garden of the store produced 18 golden pumpkins. The whole vine is like a Wolong, and lively Changsha citizens have come to watch it. Hutchison Whampoa also regards it as a commercial attraction, which makes it famous and prosperous.
In fact, it was reported in Ta Kung Pao in Changsha and Hunan National Daily in the Republic of China. However, contrary to the legend, all the newspapers reported that Wu was a "runaway woman" (that is, a woman who ran away from home to resist an unfair marriage). She first hired a merchant in Pozi Street, and then opened a powder shop next to the North Gate Suspension Bridge. In summer, when the school in Beimen is on holiday, the noodle restaurant will be changed into an ice shop. There is indeed a pumpkin vine in the backyard garden of Hutchison Ice Shop, like Wolong. Wu's idlers, however, thought it was beautiful and lively, and they rushed through the ice shop in droves, which affected their business. In a rage, they tore off the pumpkin vines instead of the legendary feeding, in order to attract business.
In fact, before the Anti-Japanese War, Yang Yuxing, Renhe Township and other places were recommended by Changsha Noodle Restaurant. The rice noodles were delicious, but Hutchison was little known. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Hutchison Flour Shop won wide acclaim by relying entirely on the flour made by Wu and his son. The soup was delicious, the beef grains were extremely mellow, and the mushrooms were sweet and refreshing. Therefore, it was paid attention by the media and was known as the best noodle restaurant in the north gate of Changsha, which was famous throughout the city.