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Lunar newsletter: How coronavirus affects women, drama over K-drama and a tribute to Auntie Xiong
- Lunar is a weekly curated selection of news, interviews and features dedicated to celebrating women in Asia and sharing stories that matter
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Before the coronavirus outbreak forced Wuhan into a months-long lockdown that was lifted on Wednesday, Auntie Xiong could be seen daily at her breakfast stall at a bustling corner on Shenyang Road, standing behind a wok of sizzling oil and frying one of the city’s best-known snacks.
Mianwo is a savoury, doughnut-shaped nest that pairs with Wuhan-style rice wine or the famous breakfast staple, hot-and-dry noodles.
Xiong, in her fifties, had been at it for more than a decade. The business allowed her family, originally from a northern suburb of Wuhan, to raise three children in the city centre. In the process, she built a loyal base of hungry Wuhanese who craved the fried dough every morning before they went off to work.
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“It was the best mianwo I’ve ever had,” Zeng, a 50-year-old Wuhan resident, said.
Auntie Xiong died during the coronavirus outbreak that devastated the city. Her death has triggered a wave of grief, but also nostalgia and fond memories from the regulars who frequented her stall.
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In an interview with Ergeng Video published in January 2018, Xiong said it was these loyal customers, as well as her family, who kept her going.
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