Paochun Wu, The Baker Making Bread With Love

I learned much from the book, Soft power. (From myself)

It was on a TV show that I first saw Paochun Wu. Immediately, I was attracted by his experience and personality. He had been famous as a baker winning the first prize in 2008 Coupe Louise Lesaffre (Asian cup), and he became a superstar in Taiwan. I still remember that in the program, Wu generously taught the secrets of baking to a woman, who was his super fan, and even gave her his old dough without hesitation. "How generous and unassuming the man is!" Then I was interested in his personality and bought his memoir called Soft Power in a book store to further know him.

Paochun Wu, baking with a warm smile (c.yam.com/news/ilink/r.c?http://n.yam.com/cna/life/200904/20090407827168.html)

Wu was born in Ping Tung. In his childhood, Wu’s family was too poor to support the eight children with regular meals. At 12, Wu’s father died from getting drunk and rowdy. From then on, his mother had to independently make the ends meet to nurture her children. To share her responsibility for finances, at 17, he went to the most thriving city, Taipei, to learn baking skills. From an apprentice to a master worker, Wu holds his goal by exerting himself and realizing it with diligence, though there were uncounted hardships in his experience, inclusive of thinking of his home, overcoming the problem in baking skills and abandoning his family time and even his love. To succeed in the career, he seemed to have limitless courage to face every challenge. His dream is steadfast in front of every hardship. However, his attitude is soft to approach each breakthrough. In 2008, with the love of his late mother, Wu made the bread with longan, which was often cooked by his mom to make him and the other children warm in winter, and received the great prize in Coupe Louise Lesaffre.

The celebration of operating Wu's bakery in Kaohs (http://www.peopo.org/portal.php?op=viewPost&articleId=69036)

Wu’s new bakery was founded in Kaohsiung recently, and he said he decreased the price to let the poor enjoy good bread. After all, it is natural for Wu to care about other people. His attitude and behavior not only made him successful, but represented something warm in our security. And for me, he is a model of courage. Never giving up to hardships is what I learn about from him. He also is a hero who overcomes difficulties in his life, changing my attitude into the one about learning and dedicating to the hopeless.

Wu won the great prize in 2008 Coupe Louise Lesaf (epublication.kcg.gov.tw/print.asp?EPKey=166)

In the other hand, About Wu’s bread and me, I enjoy his signboard bread, the one that caused Wu to win the second prize in Coupe Louise Lesaffre (world cup). Made of longan, a kind of fruit common in Taiwan and my favorite one, Red wine, Walnuts and wheatgerm powder, the bread dispersed sweet smell in my mouth, and the perfect mouth-feel is like a golden river pouring into my mind. Especially eating it with a cup of hot red tea, I imagine that the Wu’s warm hand kneading the dough was creating a story that I couldn’t forget, and makes me recall it one time after another.