Zheng Aizhen, founder of the Asia Palast Chinese restaurant chain in Germany. [Photo/66wc.com]
Looking back on the days after Germany announced a nationwide lockdown to quash the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, Zheng Aizhen, owner of a Chinese restaurant in Hanau, said she had never even considered giving up.
The restaurant, known as Asia Palast, became the first restaurant in Hanau to offer food delivery services after the lockdown, and its monthly income gradually rose from 100 euros ($108.77) to over 1,000 euros.
"Making a profit of 1,000 euros was an exciting breakthrough for our takeout business. Despite the epidemic, things weren’t looking too bad for us," Zheng said.
She was grateful to the dedication of all her employees. She also devises a variety of ways to improve their lives during the lockdown, organizing trips for hiking, cycling and picking wild fruits and vegetables.
"I just wanted my employees to be optimistic about life and never lose hope, even in the face of the pandemic," Zheng said.
She remained concerned about her homeland and compatriots throughout the period, even as her restaurant struggled to make ends meet in Germany.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, when FFP2 masks in Germany were being sold at four to 10 euros each, Zheng quickly ordered 100,000 masks and sent them to Sichuan, Yunnan and Hunan provinces.
In addition, as Hanau is a sister city of Taizhou, which neighbors her hometown of Wenzhou in East China' Zhejiang province, Zheng donated 50,000 euros to schools in Taizhou, hoping to help children during the pandemic.
Zheng has a lofty dream to promote Chinese cuisines across the world and bring the most authentic Chinese flavors to more foreigners.
In October 2021, during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zheng's new business, the Ommia Restaurant & Event Bar, opened in Germany and gained much popularity due to its authentic food, fine wine, and friendly services.
"I have confidence that the restaurant will be the first Michelin restaurant in Germany to be run by a Chinese person," Zheng said.
