Chinese father travels 900 km to open food stall near daughter’s university for a ‘taste of home’
A HEARTWARMING story from northeastern China has captured widespread attention after a father travelled nearly 900 km and changed his entire life so his daughter could enjoy food that reminded her of home.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the daughter, Li Bingdi, is a second-year student at Jilin Normal University in Siping, Jilin province. For almost a year, Li had complained that her university canteen food was unhygienic and lacked the familiar “taste of home”, as reported by Dahe News and cited by SCMP.
Moved by her concerns, her father resigned from his job at a barbecue restaurant in Tianjin, far to the south. He then travelled to southern China to learn cooking skills, including preparing fried rice and noodles, before renting a stall right outside the gates of his daughter’s university.
Slow start turns into surprising success
The small food stall made its debut in mid-October. On the first day, he managed to sell only seven sets of cooked rice, making a modest profit. In fact, his daughter earned more as a private tutor that day, making 70 yuan.
Feeling emotional about her father’s struggles, Li shared his story on her school’s social media platform, adding that he prioritised clean cooking and was eager for advice on improving his sales.
The post sparked a wave of support. The very next day, long queues formed at the stall, with students, teachers and residents waiting patiently to buy his meals. Li said some customers “even overordered to support his business”, and several comments on the post praised the father’s dedication.
A bond strengthened through loss
As the stall grew busier, Li began spending most of her spare time helping her father. She recalled a moment from the previous month when he said he felt cold while running the stall in harsh weather, but now, with customers flocking in, “his heart feels warm”. She explained that he was not seeking big profits, only enough to live simply while staying close to his daughter.
Li also shared that she and her father have relied on each other since her mother passed away from leukaemia a few years ago. When she had struggled to choose a university, unsure of which city to move to, her father had gently assured her that he would follow her anywhere. “He has fulfilled his promise,” she said.
She added that while many describe a father’s love as grand and immovable, “for me, my father’s love is as warm as the sun”.
