Hong Kong is mourning the death of one of its most adored entrepreneurs, whose rags-to-riches story was seen by many as a reflection of the city's own economic rise. Chong Kin Wo was dubbed "The Dumpling Queen" for founding the Wan Chai Ferry brand of frozen foods. The beloved tycoon died last week at the age of 73, from complications related to chronic diabetes. CGTN's Patrick Fok looks back at her journey from humble beginnings to household name.

Nothing remains of the old Wan Chai Pier, demolished in 2014 to make way for the new terminal nearby. But it was around here in the late 1970s Chong Kin Wo began selling dumplings from a wooden cart, capturing ferry passengers crossing Hong Kong's harbour.

EDWIN LEUNG EARLY CUSTOMER "It's the most important transportation. Even though you had the Cross-Harbour tunnel people got used to the ferry. Because it's very convenient."

News of Madame Chong's death brought back a flood of memories for Edwin Leung. As a schoolboy, he still recalls the crowds that would queue up for her dumplings.

EDWIN LEUNG EARLY CUSTOMER "The outside was very thin, it's very easy to eat. Actually, you know when it was cold, and a little bit windy, people want to get warm. The hot water with the dumplings made you much better."

But the early days were far from plain sailing. Born in Shandong province, Chong arrived in Hong Kong in 1977 with her two young daughters to start a new life after separating from her husband. At the time she couldn't speak Cantonese and struggled to communicate, She'd been a nurse in Shandong, but could only find work as a dishwasher in Hong Kong. Becky Cheung worked for Madam Chong in the 1990s and later became a close friend. Had Chong not slipped one day and lost her dish-washing-job, she says, Wan Chai Ferry might never have taken off. It was that setback that prompted her to strike out as a street vendor.

BECKY CHEUNG FORMER EMPLOYEE AND FRIEND "She has been through a great deal, going back to 40-50 years ago, being in a foreign city, broken family, single mother with two young kids, life was tough, it was very difficult, and she managed and she worked very hard and she never gave up."

Chong's fortunes changed when the general manager of a Japanese department store offered her the chance to sell pre-packaged, frozen dumplings in the shop. That's when she established the brand Wan Chai Ferry.

PATRICK FOK HONG KONG "In 1997 Chong partnered with US food giant Pillsbury to expand her business, and continued to grow the brand with General Mills following its billion-dollar acquisition of Pillsbury."

Today, Wan Chai Ferry accounts for around 10% of the frozen dumpling market, worth billions of dollars. But it all began through the determination of one woman.

BECKY CHEUNG FORMER EMPLOYEE AND FRIEND "I never saw her feeling doubt in her eyes. She would have high expectations from the manager working for her and she would push us to a higher level, she would develop us by teaching me many skills on how to make good dumplings and how to taste dumplings so I was making dumplings in the factory and tasting them every day. She insisted I needed to do that to find out the real dumplings' taste."

And through the empire she built, her legacy lives on. PATRICK FOK, CGTN, HK.