DailyExpertNews
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The founder of one of the world’s largest dumpling empires has passed away.
Yang Bing-yi, who founded the Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung, has “passed away peacefully” at the age of 96, the company said in a statement Saturday.
It did not state the cause of death, but said private funeral arrangements were underway and the family has asked for privacy.
Born in 1927 in China’s northern Shanxi province, Yang immigrated to Taiwan when he was 20 “with $20 in his pocket,” according to the company.
He and his wife opened a small shop in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, which he called Din Tai Fung and sold cooking oil and Xiao Long Bao, steamed Chinese soup dumplings often made with pork.
The business boomed and the restaurant became synonymous with dumplings, as well as dishes like steamed buns, egg fried rice, and noodles.
It grew into a franchise, with outlets in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Singapore.
Further recognition followed – it received its first Michelin star in 2009 and was listed as one of the ‘world’s top travel franchises’ on a DailyExpertNews Travel list in 2014.
The restaurant in the Taipei 101 skyscraper hosted Hollywood star Tom Cruise in 2013, who dined and co-created soup dumplings with chefs.