When fields collide: brand authenticity, dual structures, and cultural capital conversion in the case of Rongbaozhai

Founded in 1672 and rebranded in 1894, Rongbaozhai (荣宝斋) developed from a Qing dynasty stationery shop into a leading cultural institution specializing in fine art, calligraphy, and scholarly collectibles. Over more than three centuries, it navigated major historical transformations, shifting from the literati cultural economy of the Qing dynasty to modern commercial systems and later expanding into Hong Kong’s international market. Drawing on Bourdieu’s field theory and Zhang Jijiao’s dual-structure model, this study argues that these transitions can be explained through four dimensions of brand authenticity: continuity, credibility, integrity, and symbolism. Rather than treating authenticity as a branding attribute, the paper reconceptualizes these dimensions as institutional conditions that enable the reproduction and conversion of cultural capital. It further identifies the Confucian-Mohist principle of yi yi qu li (以义取利, securing profit through righteousness) as the ethical foundation of integrity, linking authenticity to the moral logic of traditional Chinese commerce. Using a historical case study organized into five periods, with the Hong Kong branch serving as a critical negative case, the study shows that cultural capital remains convertible into economic value across changing socioeconomic fields only when all four conditions are preserved. When they weaken, especially across field boundaries, this convertibility declines, limiting the transfer of legitimacy and value.