Latest news with #WanchaiFerry
The Star
24-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Heart And Soul: More than a mother
She has been both mother and father to us. Without her sacrifices, my siblings and I wouldn't be who we are today. — This visual is human-created, AI-aided. Do you have any real-life, heart-warming stories to share with readers? We'd love to hear from you. Please keep your story within 900 words. Photos are optional and should be in JPEG format (file size about 1MB, with caption and photo credit). There is no payment for stories, and we reserve the right to edit all submissions. Email your story to: heartandsoul@ with the subject "Heart and Soul". A new Chinese film, The Dumpling Queen , tells the true story of Zang Jianhe – a single mother abandoned by her husband who rose from selling dumplings on the street to founding Hong Kong's renowned Wanchai Ferry food brand. Many admire her perseverance, but what strikes me most is her struggle as both mother and breadwinner. Her sacrifices before success deeply resonate with me – my own mother is a single parent too. My father died when I was three and my brother two. Once a full-time housewife, she became the sole provider for five – including her elderly in-laws – after his passing. Like Zang Jianhe, my mother had no formal qualifications – she left school after Form Three. Fortunately, her elder brother offered her a job, but the pay barely covered the essentials: bills, food, and school fees for her children. Though uneducated, she valued learning – determined to lift us out of hardship. She paid for private tuition and worked mornings at a wet market to earn extra. Her generous friend often gave her free vegetables, helping her save more. Raised in a moderately wealthy family, she rarely sought their help – choosing instead to live frugally. She seldom bought clothes for herself, focusing only on necessities. When I was in Form Four, we moved to another town in the same district. Her job with her elder brother was ending, but she was lucky again – a relative offered to co-run a snack wholesale business. The early months were tough – sales were low, and we couldn't afford help, so I stepped in to assist. I remember once helping my mother at the shop when several police officers arrived – someone had reported us for selling firecrackers. They searched the place thoroughly but found only 'pop pops', a legal children's novelty. Still, they insisted on taking one of us to the station for questioning. They first chose me, but my mother strongly objected – I was just a student, and she feared a police record would ruin my future. She volunteered to go instead. Though initially resistant, she was eventually handcuffed and taken away. Thankfully, with help from relatives, she was released that night. A scene in The Dumpling Queen brought it all back – Zang detained for selling dumplings illegally, pleading with police to release her innocent daughters. It struck a deep chord. Like Zang, my mother has always shielded us – selflessly and fiercely, like a hen guarding her chicks. She has been both mother and father to us. Without her sacrifices, my siblings and I wouldn't be who we are today.
South China Morning Post
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
The Dumpling Queen movie review: Andrew Lau depicts founding of a Hong Kong food brand
2.5/5 stars Advertisement The inspiring true story behind the founding of an iconic Hong Kong food brand receives a largely uninspired retelling in The Dumpling Queen, a glossy if unabashedly melodramatic and run-of-the-mill biopic set primarily in the city in the late 1970s and 80s. The Dumpling Queen tells the rags-to-riches story of Wanchai Ferry founder Zang Jianhe (or Chong Kin-wo ), played by Chinese comic actress Ma Li without even a hint of humour. It begins in 1977 in Qingdao, Shandong province, where the mother of two young daughters bids farewell to her own mother and sister before travelling to Hong Kong to meet her husband (Kenny Wong Tak-bun) after four years apart. Advertisement However, upon arriving at the border railway station, Lo Wu, she learns that, under the influence of his wicked mother (Nina Paw Hee-ching), he has left her and married another woman, who has borne him a son in Thailand. Zang soon decides to leave him for good.
