水明昌木器公司的老板水亦明,祖籍浙江鄞县。1896年年仅13岁的水亦明在乡下向别人借了一块银圆,带着一把纸伞和一只包裹来到上海滩闯荡,在上海武昌木器店开始了他的学徒生涯。3年学徒结束后,水亦明已是一个出色的营业员,并且还能讲些外语。到1899年,他便开始求职于上海滩上的第一家西式木器公司——泰昌木器公司所属的分店顺昌木器店。由于他精明能干,于是很快从一名普通职员升职当上了店总经理。 1921年前后,他又筹资在四川路桥堍开店,另立门户,自己经营木器生意,与大儿子一起以每月50块银圆的租金租赁了一间房子,开设了“明昌木器店”。到1926年,他雄心勃勃地用2万两银子租下四川中 The owner of Shuimingchang Woodware Company, Shui Yiming, is from Zuxian County, Zhejiang Province. In 1896, the only 13-year-old Shui Yiming borrowed a silver circle from the countryside and took a paper umbrella and a parcel to the beach to start his apprenticeship at Shanghai Wuchang Woodcraft Store. After three years of apprenticeship, Shui Yiming is already an outstanding salesperson and can speak some foreign languages. By 1899, he began to work for the first western-style woodware company on the beach, the Shunchang Woodware Store of the Taichang Woodware Company. Because of his astute ability, he quickly promoted from an ordinary staff member to become general manager of the store. Around 1921, he again raised funds to open a store in Luqiao, Sichuan, opened a new door, and operated the wood business himself. Together with his eldest son, he leased a house at a rent of 50 silver rounds per month and opened a “Mingchang Woodware Shop.” By 1926, he was ambitiously using 20,000 yuan to rent Sichuan.