German-run bakery witnesses care for deaf-mute
Print Edition
Put your thumb up and slightly curl it down twice. In Bach鈥檚 Bakery, this is how frequent patrons say 鈥渢hank you鈥 to shop assistants.
In this 鈥渟ilent鈥 bakery in Changsha, capital of central China鈥檚 Hunan Province, the word 鈥渨elcome鈥 is more seen and felt, as most employees here are deaf and mute.
Uwe Brutzer, who owns the shop, will sometimes emerge from the kitchen to introduce the bread to first-time customers using fluent Chinese.
The 51-year-old German national and his wife Dorothee Brutzer have run the bakery for about a decade, employing and training deaf-mute bakers to open them up to new career options.
In 2002, the couple arrived in Changsha to work for a deaf-mute children鈥檚 assistance project funded by a German civil charity organization. Realizing the group鈥檚 plight in the job market, they opened the bakery in 2011.
鈥淒eaf-mute people can work and support their families just like anyone else,鈥 Brutzer said. 鈥淚nstead of relying on others鈥 mercy, they can work and make friends freely. I think this is what xiaokang (moderately prosperous society) implies.鈥
The establishment now has six deaf-mute employees and has trained 20 other deaf-mute bakers who are now working at other bakeries.
Despite being located in a secluded alley, the bakery and its cause have become extremely popular. Both the local government and clients have helped publicize their work.
鈥淥ne guest introduced us to a famous TV program in Hunan, and after the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese friends sent us masks,鈥 Brutzer said. 鈥淚 feel warm with so many Chinese friends, which is why we have chosen to stay here.鈥
Amid China鈥檚 efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, more favorable policies were rolled out to benefit the disabled population, the German couple has noted.
Dorothee Brutzer said deaf children in China鈥檚 remote rural areas used to lack rehabilitation to prevent them from becoming both deaf and mute, a primary reason why they came to China.
鈥淣ow, government subsidies have allowed deaf children to obtain hearing aids or have cochlear implants in a timely manner. Even deaf children from poor families can get timely treatment,鈥 she said.
Uwe Brutzer also testified to a more friendly society for people with disabilities.
He has witnessed a bygone era when some Chinese parents feared that wearing hearing aids might bring shame and discrimination to their hearing-impaired children, an attitude fading away amid the increasing public knowledge of the devices.
鈥淣ow, many parents feel free to take their hearing-impaired children out to play. Wearing hearing aids no longer makes them feel uncomfortable or surprises others.鈥
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