In the midst of China’s hurtle towards the future, sometimes it’s nice to take a look back. Laozihao (老字号), officially translated as “time-honored brands,” is a government distinction awarded to certain brand names and shops that have proven histories. Some of them date as far back as the Qing Dynasty, but in Shanghai, there are now officially 180 laozihao.

Once run by families as generational businesses, most laozihao were “liberated” as state-run entities during the Cultural Revolution. At the time, every store was dealt a different hand: some lost their shops entirely, others used their guanxi to stay afloat doing business for the government. The laozihao title wasn't officially created until 1991, when some of the surviving labels were redesignated as "time honored" brands and allowed to rediscover their commercial past. A few were returned to their original owners, but the majority remained state-owned, with the larger names morphing into chains with venues all over the city (and in some cases, country). Through all the changes in ownership and location, there remains a cachet of nobility attached to these time-honored brands among locals.

Laozihao may not be places that you frequent–indeed, you may often walk past these stores without batting an eyelash–but they’re Shanghai institutions with history that locals know and trust. Here are our picks of Shanghai's best laozihao.

Hengdeli Clocks 亨德利钟表

During the Qing Dynasty, Hengdeli was the place to go for foreign goods ranging from watches and clocks to dressing tables–it’s where the last emperor of China shopped. Now Hengdeli has scaled back its foreign product line and focuses solely on watches.

These days, it feels much like a high-end shopping mall with glass counters of luxury foreign watch brands, but it’s kept its reputation intact: Hengdeli remains known as one of the best in the country for repairing imported clocks and watches and is still frequented by high rollers who know that Hengdeli’s state-owned status ensures that they’re buying real Rolexes instead of Folex fakes.

ZC Brush and Ink Co. 周虎臣曹素功笔

Four hundred years ago, there was a guy named Cao Su Gong who specialized in making ink. Three hundred years ago, there was another guy named Zhou Hu Chen who specialized in making calligraphy brushes. Each man set up his own store, and so their names lived on long after they died. During the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese government transcended space and time by bringing together these two names from different eras to form the ZC Brush and Ink Co.

The current store is modest with simple wooden finishing and the smell of ink in the air, and the the friendly shopkeepers are happy to relay the store’s history and recommend the right kind of ink for you.

Duo Yun Xuan 朵云轩

Opened in 1900 as a fan store, Duo Yun Xuan became known as the preferred stationery brand of China’s literati during the 1940s. Since then, the store has expanded its product line to offer calligraphy materials as well as traditional Chinese handicrafts and paintings. The space doesn't feel as special as its history, but it still has a comprehensive spread of supplies for aspiring Lu Xuns.

Wangkai Photo Studio 王开照相

Founded during Shanghai’s roaring ’20s, the main floor of the modern day Wangkai Photo Studio exudes the faded glory of days gone by. Previously a hot spot for locals and celebrities, Wangkai now focuses on wedding photography, family portraits and group photos for Chinese government gatherings. Unsurprisingly, the walls of the studio are lined with old fashioned photographs featuring people with stiff poses and frozen smiles.

It’s one of the few privately owned laozihao around, and the company has made an effort to make itself more marketable in today’s climate by adding wedding dresses to their repertoire as well as a separate floor devoted to wedding photography. The store and wedding photography floor stands are pure gloss and bling, a stark contrast to the sleepy and staid main photo studio, but they still do good business among locals looking for portraits from a trusted name brand with a bit of historical celebrity status.

Baromon 培罗蒙

Locally tailored, menswear store Baromon has been dressing China’s government officials for nearly 100 years. Every year, Shanghainese tailors from Baromon travel to Zhongnanhai to kit out top members of the CCP for the year. They've dressed prominent CCP figureheads like Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji, and though the shopkeepers proudly hold to their claim that Baromon is a brand belonging to the laobaixing (the common people), their suits retail for upwards of RMB4,000. Perhaps they're just talking about the upper-middle class commoners.

Even today, their designs remain very traditional–boxy suits and satiny golf shirts dominate the selection. In fact, the store is so old school that one of their newest innovations has been the introduction of different seasonal lines. So rejoice, for no longer will you have to wear that heavy winter Mao suit to your grandma’s annual summer barbecue.

Heng Yuan Xiang 恒源祥

One of Shanghai’s oldest knitting supply brands, Heng Yuan Xiang’s wares have been around since 1927 but didn’t aggressively expand until the early ’90s. Today, the chain runs closet-sized yarn shops all around Shanghai and has its own clothing and bedding line. Usually these stores are crowded by middle-aged Chinese aunties, their stitching needles moving in time with a rapid patter of Shanghainese conversations.

The brand, like so many others, comes with the state-owned seal of quality assurance, so you won’t need to worry about junior getting lead color poisoning from his new sweater. And that holds true even if you buy from their Taobao store, the brand’s latest move to modernize.

De Xing Guan 德兴馆

Opened in 1878, this earthy noodle shop is a local favorite. The daily noodle menu hangs on bright red placards (Chinese only), and noodles come in one size: punchbowl. Our favorite is the pig trotter noodles, thin lamian served in rich broth, topped by a generous slice of incredibly tender, slightly sticky pig trotter.

The xiaolongbao are rustic, which won’t make sense until you see them. They’re the size of small steamed buns, and are just RMB8 for four. The restaurant’s upper floors serve up a larger menu, but the bottom floor is where you want to be. In spite of ghastly modern embellishments such as a large LED-lit banner with badly shot food images, it’s still full of character. It’s crowded, and runners jostle to fill orders amid crowded tables, but it's worth it once you're seated.

Deda Western Cuisine 德大西菜社

Opened in 1897 by Chinese owners, Deda is one of Shanghai’s oldest Western restaurants. Known traditionally as a date place, the dining room now exudes an interesting atmosphere balanced between family fun and romance. With two branches in Shanghai, the décor is ambiguously European, featuring heavy wooden chairs, dark wood paneling along the wall and “antique” flourishes like wrought iron chandeliers. The ceiling mural harkens back to the glamor of ’30s Shanghai, albeit with a slight Disney World flourish.

Originally featuring a distinctly German-inspired menu, décor and table settings, the offerings of the modern day Deda span the entire European continent and even some of North America. The motley menu along with distinctively Chinese service standards suggest that the state-owned restaurant is resting on its laurels, but with a moderately-priced menu (a meal for two with a few drinks comes in around RMB400) it’s still a decent deal for “Western” food in this town.

Godly 功德林

Founded on Buddhist principals, Godly was established in Shanghai in 1922 by Monk Xhao Yunshao upon the request of Venerable Master Wei Jun. The vegetarian restaurant was an instant success among Chinese intellectuals. While large and sprawling, the interior's partitioned dining spaces and simple wooden furniture give it a quiet charm. It has an extensive list of fake meat dishes made from tofu, a burgeoning line of pre-packaged food products and a still-loyal local following.

Wang Bao He 王宝和

Renowned for its crab feasts and Shaoxing yellow wine, Wang Bao He's lower floor feels unsettlingly like a hotel lobby. Head upstairs, though, and you’re in a warren of low-ceilinged dining nooks. The smell of vinegar, ginger and grain alcohol permeates the air, giving the immediate impression that this actually is the real thing.

With a 250-year history, the restaurant has stayed true to its original moniker as “crab king.” The menu focuses on river crab (diners can literally have crab for every course of their meal) and sells itself as the restaurant to visit during hairy crab season. Even though Wang Bao He has gotten some mixed reviews lately, come hairy crab season, there’s no beating this brand in the minds of Shanghainese.

Nanxiang Dumplings 南翔馒头

Over a hundred years ago, in the Shanghai suburbs, a man by the name of Huang Mingxian thought to himself, “I’m going to make some really kickass xiaolongbao.” Or something to that effect. Then Nanxiang Dumplings was born. It now has three locations, though the Yuyuan spot is most famous–it’s the place where the line stretches for blocks down the streets. It may not be as refined as Din Tai Fung, but their giant crab meat soup dumpings (RMB22) and xiaolongbao (RMB30) remain immensely popular.

Xinghua Lou 杏花楼

With a lengthy menu of Shanghainese and Cantonese dishes, this mammoth restaurant with a history stretching back 150-plus years has several outlets around town. Its marquee location (Fuzhou Lu) boasts seven floors of Chinese banquet-style dining. The bottom floor consists of a bustling local bakery featuring a spread of Xinghua Lou’s famous mooncakes (reputed to be the best in Shanghai), a smattering of other Chinese baked goods and elderly, line-cutting locals. Upstairs, the food and service are as expected, though you likely won’t be here often unless you’ve got a long line of Chinese clients to impress.