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.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
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.
However, after suffering a serious work injury, she was unjustly dismissed and later diagnosed with diabetes.
Zang recalled: “I climbed out of bed after 13 days because all I could think about was, I have no job, no work I could do anymore with my broken back. What am I going to do? I’m going to starve to death.”
To make a living, she decided to set up a small dumpling stall at the Wan Chai Pier, a vital transportation hub for commuters between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island at the time, with her daughters helping her sell.
She remembered her very first day: “Pushing my cart to the Wan Chai Pier for the first time felt as long as the Great Wall.”
Over the years, she persevered in creating delicious yet affordable dumplings with fresh ingredients, continually refining her recipe, and her tireless efforts eventually paid off.
She gained widespread recognition and opened her first factory, “Wanchai Ferry,” which received its initial investment from Daimaru, a Japanese department store chain, in 1983.
In 1997, she formed a partnership with General Mills, an American multinational food manufacturer, marking her business’s gradual expansion into the global market.
By 1999, Wanchai Ferry achieved annual sales of 500 million yuan (US$69 million), earning Zang the title of “Dumpling Queen”.
Zang passed away in February 2019, at a time when Wanchai Ferry owned 15 production facilities worldwide and had reached an annual sales volume of 6 billion yuan (US$830 million).
Beyond her business accomplishments, Zang actively engaged in charitable efforts, including funding the construction of water storage facilities in villages across northern Shaanxi province and establishing nursing homes in Qingdao, Shandong province.
Her inspiring story has sparked vibrant discussions among Chinese netizens.
One person commented: “A successful person never complains about their circumstances; they create their own opportunities.”
Another added: “Never accept fate and never give up; believe in hard work with both hands.”
More from South China Morning Post:
- China doctor fired for stealing placentas from new mums, selling them as TCM ingredients
- Thai dad arrested for abandoning baby in forest to punish wife who denies him sex
- Bizarre 2-way mirror in Thai theme park toilet lets urinating men watch women for ‘enjoyment’
- ‘99.99%’ lookalike of Taiwan singer Jay Chou cannot sing, enjoys Mandopop king’s music
- ‘Selfish’ Chinese man who used mall baby nursing room for online meeting ridiculed online
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
