Food for thought: A small restaurant with a big heart

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CGTN

On a downtown street in north China’s Tianjin is a very ordinary-looking Chinese fast food restaurant. However, some people spend hours on the road to come here.

It isn’t the restaurant chain (which is available all over China) or the food that has made this restaurant famous. What makes it so special is a wall covered with sticky notes.

One customer placing a sticky "receipt" on the wall. /By CGTN

"A bowl of noodles," "Rice with pigeon soup," "Rice with drumsticks," "100 yuan in cash – from A Handsome Man" …

Behind these notes is a very special, moving story.

Wang Yanqing and a kid with leukemia. /By CGTN

Wang Yanqing is the restaurant owner. She comes from a small village in Shaxian County, east China’s Fujian Province. Her hometown is famous for its food across China, and she has been in the food industry for more than 10 years. Her restaurant in Tianjin finally opened two years ago.

A local hospital specializing in blood diseases in Tianjin. /By CGTN

Next to the restaurant is a hospital that specializes in blood diseases. Many patients are children suffering from leukemia.

The children have been hospitalized with blood disorders. /CGTN Photo

CGTN Photo

As treatment can cost up to a million yuan (almost 150,000 US dollars), many of the patients’ families are hit hard financially. Sometimes, they can’t even afford a decent meal.

Customers wait in line to buy a meal in Wang Yanqing's restaurant. /By CGTN

Wang, once aware of the difficulties facing these families, felt she could not just stand by and watch on. So she decided to give the families free food. For the sick children, she’s even happy to offer them their favorite dishes which aren’t on the menu, like rice porridge and steamed egg custard.

However, with an increasing number of people in need, Wang’s income at the restaurant has dropped, leaving her barely able to cover the costs.

Customers at Wang Yanqing's cookshop. /By CGTN

At that point, a friend suggested that she could copy the western idea of "coffee on the wall," and establish a "table on the wall."

Customers of the restaurant can "buy" more than one portion of food, and write down their orders on sticky notes on the wall. Patients and families in need can then use the notes for free meals, after presenting hospital certificates or relevant medical records.

A customer sticking a note on the wall. /By CGTN

The idea has proved popular, with the restaurant’s customers very happy to donate food for patients and their families.

"Wish you a recovery, too," one customer writes. /By CGTN

"Table on the Wall" was established in November 2015. The restaurant has offered more than 10,000 charity meals, helping more than 100 leukemia patients and their families.

Wang Yanqing. /By CGTN

As long as Wang’s restaurant exists, this story of kindness will go on…

The story is one in "The 1.3 Billion" series exploring the diverse lives that make up China.