93-year-old Wu Sun Fenglan is a native Nanjing resident. She operated a wonton shop in Pukou for 20 years, and today her grandson inherited the shop and will carry on the trade.
To support her family, Wu became a wonton apprentice in Pukou in the autumn of 1969 at the age of 45, and opened her own wonton shop on the streets there in 1971. Her wontons had thin wrapping, copious stuffing and soup made from real bones. The chili sauce, made over open flame, was especially popular for its rich taste and strong flavor. She selected the raw materials herself in order to guarantee food safety.
In the 1990s, Wu's wonton shop was shut down due to urban renovations and her old age. In 2013, her oldest grandson, another acolyte of authentic wonton making, re-opened the shop, and has been actively engaged in charity work by sponsoring a child to school for every new branch he opened. So far he has sponsored about 50 students in Qinghai, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Guangxi provinces, and he provides more than 10,000 bowls of free wonton for street cleaners as breakfast every year. He does all this to honor his promise to his grandmother and to fulfill his social responsibility.
Wu Sun Fenglan often called herself an old craftsman and she is pleased that her traditions are being carried on. Her biggest wish is to keep the memory of old Nanjing alive and enable more people to enjoy the tastes of this ancient city.
