By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-04-02 06:01:30 | Updated at 2025-04-03 06:44:22
1 day ago
The upcoming Chinese film The Dumpling Queen has once again drawn attention to the inspiring story of Zang Jianhe, who rose from humble beginnings as a street dumpling vendor after being abandoned by her husband and ultimately became a business mogul.
The Dumpling Queen, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Andrew Lau Wai-keung, is set to premiere on April 30 on the mainland. It is based on the true story of the legendary Zang, the founder of the renowned food brand “Wanchai Ferry,” which specialises in dumplings.
Born in 1945, Zang grew up in a rural family in Rizhao, Shandong province, eastern China. After dropping out of school, she worked as a nursing attendant at a hospital and later married a doctor from Thailand, with whom she had two daughters.
However, in 1977, after resigning from her hospital job and relocating to Thailand with her two daughters, Zang discovered that her husband had begun a new family. He had apparently left her due to her inability to give birth to a son.
This prompted Zang to move to Hong Kong, where she raised her daughters alone.
Zang told her daughters: “All I want is devoted love and dignity that allows me to hold my head high! Remember, from now on, you no longer have a father.”
Confronted with a language barrier – she spoke only Mandarin – and lacking formal educational qualifications, she worked basic jobs for nearly 20 hours a day.
