Fiction: Group 3
buying fresh ingredients from the markets, going back to the restaurant to prepare food, cook, serve, clean
and manage the cashier during the day. He also devoted most of his leisure time to exploring different food
cultures by reading cook books and inventing new recipes. He then started to cook fusion dim-sum,
preserving traditional tastes, while adding in his own style, hoping to appeal to both the young and old.
With his persistence, slowly and steadily, the restaurant gained some regular customers and that circle
gradually built. Finally, he could balance the profit and expenses and started to earn some money.
On one typical day, a western man in a nice tuxedo, neatly combed hair came in and ordered most of the
dim sum. Jim rarely had foreign customers, but he still treated him as any other usual customer, being
friendly and helpful, cooking with passion. The man eventually left with a generous tip on the table and a
wide grin on his face.
A few days later, the same man, now with a camera crew came in, expressing that he would like to
interview him. “Normally, I rarely have Chinese food because it wasn’t my cup of tea. However, your dim
sum completely changed my views towards Chinese cuisine. You not only offer high quality fresh food at a
low price, but also stepped the game up, making your own twists in a local delicacies, combining creativity
and traditional flavours, while providing good service. Everything was perfect and the food especially was to
die for.” This was the point of change.
Years after, Jim’s restaurant became one of the largest food chains in Hong Kong, renowned for its
scrumptious food and top-class service, constantly expanding its business. On the opening day of his first
restaurant in Shenzhen, a milestone of Jim’s business, Jim stood modestly on stage as he made his opening
speech “People often ask me, what the key to success is? I believe that there is never a definite answer, but
one thing’s for sure: We have to combine external factors with personal effort. Living in the fastest
developing and most dynamic region in China, the Pearl River Delta has provided me countless
opportunities as I pursue my dream. It is a place where East meets west, fostering creativity and innovation.
We also need personal effort: an optimistic attitude, the willingness to attempt, the courage to battle
obstacles, the determination to never give up and a modest heart – staying true, being you yourself, no
matter how the world around you revolves.”
As the crowd erupted into roars of applause, Jim scanned his surroundings, he saw his new seaside restaurant,
the stunning view of the promenade, along the Pearl River. Waves splashed into the shore, rhythmically,
one by one. The music of the sea was soothing as ever, staring at the rippling water, the unique patterns that
seem to make up the sea, pieces of memories flashed back. Jim remembered daydreaming in the casino,
wondering about his future while shuffling decks of cards; he recalled learning to cook in the traditional
Chinese restaurant where he spent days and night polishing up his cooking skills; he thought about his
hopelessness when he was alone in his small restaurants, in the middle of an unfamiliar place. All his blood
and sweat, alongside the once devastated mind rushed into his mind. Yet, when a huge wave crashed into
the shore, they all seem to have vanished, snapping Jim back to reality.
Jim continued his speech and said ‘I hope you all can dare dream big and dare make changes too. Even me,
an ordinary worker in the casino can pursue his dreams and strive towards his goal, it all comes down to
faith and determination. Miracles do happen with hard work when you believe…”
Continuous loud claps filled the air and this was when Jim saw the man in tuxedo nodding with approval.
Jim smiled genuinely, as he declared the opening of his restaurant.
We often look at a flourishing place, such as Pearl River Delta, by counting its GDP, looking at its grand
infrastructure and the stock market. But it’s not only about the money, the international status, the
skyscrapers. What matters has always been the stories behind: the trials and tears; the boiled blood and toiled
minds. Ultimately, with countless unique stories, including that of Jim’s, yours and mine, are the pieces to
the
whole
jigsaw
puzzle.
We, the people are the ones that created the prosperity of Pearl River Delta.
