"Post-70s" Taiwan compatriots spent the New Year in Wuxi and "sweet together" with the city

The picture shows Zhang Qingwen's wheel cake shop in Wuxi Nanchan Temple Mall. Photo by Sun Quan

(New Year at the grassroots level) "post-70s" Taiwan compatriots in Wuxi to spend the New Year with the city "sweet"

Wuxi, February 1 (Reporter Sun Quan) "This year's New Year we must 'stick to the position', let our sweet wheel cake 'warm' the stomach of the people of Wuxi, and together with this city known for its 'sweetness', sweet and sweet New Year!" On the morning of February 1, in a storefront called "Taste of Wheel Cake" in Wuxi Nanchan Temple Mall, Zhang Qingwen from Taipei began to get busy, preparing ingredients, adjusting the single machine, and arranging the store moves... After a set of skilled operations, mr. Shen, the husband who was on the side, was not idle, wrapped up an apron, and heated the machine for making wheel cakes.

Start a sweet "side business" in the Sweet City

Wuxi is a city known for its "sweetness", in terms of eating, Wuxi's sauce ribs, peaches, and small dumplings are all representatives of sweetness in people's hearts and mouths. In this sweet city, Zhang Qingwen's wheel cake shop has been open for 7 years.

"I personally prefer to make desserts, at that time to work in Wuxi, I would often bring some of the desserts I made for the mothers in the confinement center to eat, I did not expect to be particularly respected, I actually have a sense of pride." 」 Zhang Qingwen, a "post-70s", said he came to Wuxi in 2012. When he first arrived, Zhang Qingwen's identity was still "Senior Nutritionist of Yuezi Center".

If the good reputation accumulated in the confinement center is the confidence of opening a store, then the encouragement of her husband, Mr. Shen, is the catalyst for this result.

Zhang Qingwen said that her husband, Mr. Shen, is from Lianyungang and came to Wuxi in the same year as himself. At that time, his main business was to be a nutritionist, and then when he was free, he would practice making desserts as a side hustle.

"Every time she went back to Taipei, she got off the plane and shouted that she was going to eat the wheel cake, as if she couldn't eat enough, I was very curious, and I asked her to bring me a piece, and I really thought it tasted good at that time." Mr. Shen said that after tasting the Taiwan wheel cake, he thought that Zhang Qingwen's craftsmanship could also be done, so that in the days on the mainland in the future, once the "hungry worms" came up, they could solve it by themselves.

Therefore, out of the consideration of "self-sufficiency", Mr. Shen vigorously "encouraged" Zhang Qingwen to open a shop, just as a side business.

Unintentional willow shading Sweet "side business" becomes the main business

With his unique insight into desserts and his previous work experience, Zhang Qingwen's Taiwan Wheel Cake Shop was a great success as soon as it opened, and over the past few years, the store has accumulated a lot of "fans".

Zhang Qingwen told the China News Network reporter that when he first opened the store, he thought that his main business was still to be a nutritionist, and the size of the store was left to her husband to take care of. Later, the business in the store was getting better and better, and more and more people came, and Zhang Qingwen began to feel a little difficult.

"Because it is a 'husband and wife file', it is a fixed supply every day, and it will sell about 1,200 pieces a day." After all, they are all hands-on, and their energy is not allowed. Zhang Qingwen said that after comprehensive consideration, he changed his thinking and decided to take nutritionists as a side business, and the original wheel cake shop "took the position" and became his main business.

After focusing on the store, Zhang Qingwen began to mobilize the connections around him to attract Taiwan compatriots in the Yangtze River Delta region to "hold the scene", but at the beginning, the process was not smooth.

"Originally, I thought that there are more Taiwan compatriots in Suzhou and Wuxi, so the source of customers should not be a problem." Who ever thought that when the store was first opened, the most popular was the citizens of Wuxi, especially some young people. On the contrary, Taiwan compatriots seem to be 'not cold', thinking that they can also eat 'authentic wheel cake' on the mainland? Recalling the experience when he opened the store in 2015, Zhang Qingwen was very emotional.

Fortunately, "the wine is not afraid of the deep alley", with the accumulation of time and customers, Zhang Qingwen's small shop soon made a name for itself among Taiwan compatriots. Before the epidemic, Taiwan compatriots in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and other places often came to Wuxi to play, and stopped by Zhang Qingwen's shop to "relieve hunger", after the epidemic struck, many Taiwan compatriots in order to have a full meal, have turned to the Internet, choose online shopping.

"Last year we sent more than 400 boxes of cakes during the Spring Festival, and this year, by the day of Chinese New Year's Eve, there were already more than 200 boxes of orders." Zhang Qingwen said that thanks to the developed logistics industry in the mainland, many Taiwan compatriots in Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wuhan and other places have also placed orders through WeChat and Mini Programs this year.

Sweet in addition to career and heart

"In Taiwan, wheel cake should be one of the must-buy New Year goods during the New Year, a bit like the rice cake on the mainland side, its meaning is very good, 'reunion and reunion'." Zhang Qingwen said that his home is in Taipei, Mr. Shen's family is in Lianyungang, in the past, every new year, they had to go to both sides, and now affected by the epidemic, they still feel that the New Year is the most stable. "Wuxi is our common 'second hometown', this year is our third year in Wuxi for the New Year, we plan to take a vacation after the Lantern Festival."

Although I did not return to Taipei or Lianyungang for the New Year, Zhang Qingwen still prepared a sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve meal. On the morning of February 1, Zhang Qingwen sent a photo of a Chinese New Year's Eve meal to the reporter of China News Network, in which he and Mr. Shen jointly "operated" the dishes, including Taiwanese black roe, Lianyungang pan-fried lotus cake, Wuxi meat gluten...

"I think it's a bit 'late' to come to the mainland. I didn't expect the market here to be so good, my original dream was to open a coffee shop, and when this shop is more mature, I think I will work hard for my dreams. Also, I hope that the epidemic will pass as soon as possible and people will take off their masks as soon as possible! Talking about New Year's wishes, Zhang Qingwen said. (End)

Source: China News Network