STORY: My 2023 in China: a German owner of a "silent bakery"
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 19, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 23, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:55
LOCATION: CHANGSHA, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Bach's Bakery in China's Changsha
2. various of bread
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MARKUS HOFMULLER, Owner of Bach's Bakery
4. various of Bach's Bakery daily operation
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MARKUS HOFMULLER, Owner of Bach's Bakery
6. various of Bach's Bakery daily operation
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MARKUS HOFMULLER, Owner of Bach's Bakery
8. various of Bach's Bakery daily operation

STORYLINE:

Put your thumb up and slightly curl it down twice. In a bakery situated on a small lane in China's Changsha, this is how frequent patrons say "thank you" to shop assistants.

Founded by a German couple, Bach's Bakery is a quiet shop, as most employees are hearing impaired.

The couple returned to Germany in 2022 and entrusted the bakery to another German, Markus Hofmuller.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MARKUS HOFMULLER, Owner of Bach's Bakery
"On the internet, we just saw some information, some articles about this bakery. We thought why not have a look at it and we came to Changsha for a week and just got to know the place and the people here and then decided very quickly to come."

Since taking over the shop, the teacher-turned-baker had to learn pastry-making from scratch, as well as sign language.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MARKUS HOFMULLER, Owner of Bach's Bakery
"After knowing that we would take over, that we would start leading the shop, we started to bake more at home, and start to practice our baking skills. And then secondly, we also started learning the sign language.
That's a difficult part of this job. It's really hard. (Fortunately,) I can communicate on a basic level now."

Hofmuller said the bakery will continue to hire and train bakers with hearing challenges, so that they can have new career opportunities.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MARKUS HOFMULLER, Owner of Bach's Bakery
"I would say that our basic principles of doing business are still the same. We want to provide jobs and training to deaf people here in Changsha. That's the main goal of this shop.
I think this business has always been a very meaningful thing. (The former shop owner) Uwe Brutzer has done a very meaningful thing here for many years already. I'm coming here to continue running a business that is helping people to earn money and to raise their children and to have their families here in Changsha who would otherwise have found it very hard to find jobs."

2023 has been a fruitful year for Hofmuller. And he aims to enhance store management and operation further in the coming year.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): MARKUS HOFMULLER, Owner of Bach's Bakery
"I've been on a very steep learning curve. I've learned so much.
A lot of challenges in 2023. It feels a bit like there are a lot of mountains or hills in front of me. But the same time I feel I have wheels under my shoes and I start to move in the right direction.
For 2024, I have maybe three hopes. One is that I would like to sort of professionalize our training.
Second thing, I would like to keep doing new products, especially bread. I would like to make more breads that are healthy. And thirdly, I hope that our employees especially our bakers become more independent, that they grow into being able to run this place by themselves."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Changsha, China.
(XHTV)