Annual New Year feast warms hearts of Ningbo sanitation workers

Over the past decade, Wang Yule, a restaurant owner in Yuyao city, Ningbo has hosted an annual New Year feast for sanitation workers.

On Jan 22, more than 60 sanitation workers were invited to the feast, which was held at Wang's restaurant.

Wang was born in Henan province and has been working in Yuyao for many years. In 2014, touched by a photo showing sanitation workers who spent 17 hours clearing snow, he decided to pay them back. Since then, he has treated sanitation workers in Yuyao to a heartfelt New Year feast every year.

A resident surnamed Zhu is a manager of a local property management company whose sanitation workers are mainly involved in road cleaning and garbage handling. Zhu said that those who have worked at the company for at least a year were invited to Wang's feast.

"Most of the workers are from northern China. Wang tailors the menu to their palate, preparing dishes like braised pork knuckle and spicy fish," Zhu said.

"Having worked far away from home for many years, I know how hard it is to be a migrant worker. As long as my restaurant is open, I'll continue hosting the New Year feast for them," Wang said.

Wang has also set up a "Love Station" at the restaurant entrance, offering cool tea in summer and warm tea in winter for sanitation workers and taxi drivers.

In 2023, Wang also established a volunteer team with like-minded friends to deliver lunch to sanitation workers.