The 900km fried rice – how one father’s love went viral on Chinese TikTok

A father’s act of love has captured the hearts of people across China. After moving 900km to cook fried rice and noodles for his daughter, his story went viral on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Near, far – wherever you are, I know that your heart does go on. Well, it certainly did when a devoted father quit his job and travelled the distance of almost a thousand miles to cook and sell fried rice outside of his daughter's university gates in the cold northeastern Chinese air.

The story rippled across Chinese social media as the father sought to bring his daughter, Li Bingdi, the “taste of home,” after she complained that the university food lacked comfort and was unhygienic.

His journey in the northeast part of China was over 900km, and may pale in comparison to the sheer size of the rest of the country.

However, the awe-inspiring father didn’t do this on a whim. He first travelled to the south of China (exact destination unclear) to master the art of cooking fried rice and noodles.

Starting small, Dad rented a small stand near her university town. On his first day, he sold a modest seven bowls. But thanks to his daughter's post on Douyin TikTok, which went viral, a throng of keen foodies soon converged, creating a culinary cyclone.

As is the way with Chinese culture, much of the conversation centered on the dish itself, with many students and strangers alike waiting in line to try the sentimental food.

The father and daughter are now working side-by-side as the dishes become even more popular. Fittingly, this is a poignant tale, especially considering Li Bingdi lost her mother to leukaemia a few years back.

Hashtags like #FatherLove #Family #CollegeStudents bolstered the reach of the content, as did one of the original reasons for the father’s upping of sticks – food hygiene.

The dishes are definitely hygienic, because his daughter eats them.

observed one commenter on Douyin.

But most of all is the affection within. A supportive father lets his daughter study at whichever university she wants, and Li Bingdi was able to show her gratitude through a symbolic metaphor.

“While many people praise a father’s love as being as stately as a mountain, for me, my father’s love is as warm as the sun,” she rhapsodized.

At the moment the fathers status there seems semi-permanent, though if the demand keeps up, who knows if he’ll have to scale-up.

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