Markus
Hofmuller (R) and Uwe Brutzer pose for a photo in front of Bach's
Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 20,
2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)
CHANGSHA,
Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central
China's Hunan Province, ushered in a moment of leisure in the afternoon.
The
new manager Markus Hofmuller was in a heated discussion about the
upcoming test of new bakers scheduled in a week. Yet the room is
strangely quiet, as most employees here are deaf and mute, and the
manager is communicating in sign language.
Bach's Bakery, situated on a small lane in the city, was founded by a German couple Uwe Brutzer and Dorothee Brutzer.
The
couple came to Changsha in 2002 to work for a charitable project for
deaf-mute children funded by a German non-governmental charitable
organization.
"It's
better to teach someone fishing than give them a fish," the couple
said. So, they turned their attention to German pastry, and in 2011, the
"silent bakery" was born, opening its doors to provide the deaf-mute
community with a new means of financial independence.
"We
named the shop after Johann Sebastian Bach, a well-known German
composer. We hoped to make the best-baked goods, just like Bach composed
the best music," said Uwe Brutzer in a previous interview with Women of
China.
Hearing-impaired bakers make pastries at Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)
Over
the past 11 years, Bach's Bakery trained 25 hearing-impaired bakers,
many of whom have graduated and pursued careers as bakers.
Due to their old age, the couple chose to return to Germany late last year and published a shop transfer notice.
A relay of love began here. Markus Hofmuller, 45, who is also a German, officially took over the bakery in May this year.
Markus
Hofmuller has a doctorate in Sinology from Leipzig University in
Germany, and his wife is from north China's Tianjin Municipality. In
2019, the couple, along with their two daughters, settled down in
Yinchuan, capital city of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous
Region.
When
the notice was released, Markus Hofmuller had just finished his
teaching work at a primary school in Yinchuan. "I've always been more
interested in food and crafts, and it made perfect sense to teach
hearing-impaired people how to make bread," he said.
After getting in touch with Uwe Brutzer and traveling to Changsha for an on-site visit, Markus Hofmuller decided to move to Changsha with his entire family in March.
"As
soon as I walked into the bakery, I was attracted by the warm, cozy
atmosphere of the shop and decided to take it over," he said.
The
torch has now been transferred to Markus Hofmuller and he has to learn
to make pastries from scratch, sign language and run a store.
"I'm
actually the student, and even the two current apprentices came to the
bakery before me," Markus Hofmuller said on a lighter note.
The bakery will continue to hire and train deaf-mute bakers in order to provide them with new career opportunities.
"We
have to train a few new bakers every year, which I think is the core
work of our shop," said Markus Hofmuller, noting that he considers
himself a manager rather than the owner of the bakery.
"There
are now many vocational education schools in China that specialize in
training people with disabilities, and once they've mastered their
skills, they have equal job opportunities as any other able-bodied
people," Uwe Brutzer said.
Bach's Bakery has not expanded over the years, and Markus Hofmuller intends to continue running the bakery in this current form.
"Although
it's small, Bach's Bakery is now a brand for the hearing-impaired
community," he said, adding that it is also a role model for other
companies that hearing-impaired employees are focused, efficient and
have great potential.
"That's
what it is all about running the shop, it brings more possibilities to
the lives of people with hearing difficulties, and allows society to
have more awareness and acceptance of the disabled," he added.
Source: Xinhua
