From bowls of beef noodles, a future is built

"It's so nice to have money" (有錢真好) reads the calligraphy on the wall of Lee Jin-ming's (李錦銘) Tainan beef noodle shop. Like most of us, Lee has a dream. But his is a bit special -- to establish a university -- and after three decades of work and hundreds of thousands of bowls of beef noodles, Lee's vision is nearing completion.

Known to his friends as A-Ming, Lee has owned his noodle restaurant for 32 years. A-Ming Beef Noodle (阿銘牛肉麵) has long been a favorite of residents of the south, but it is only recently that northerners have begun traveling to Tainan to taste his famous noodles for themselves. They often drive for hours, however, only to find the place empty, with a sign on the door reading: "We are sold out for the day."

The noodle shop is no bigger than the average living room and has few decorations. The only thing adorning the walls is his single calligraphic sentiment about how it's nice to have money.

He should know. By his own estimate, Lee has saved some NT$800 million (US$23.8 million), mostly from making noodles, all of which will go towards accomplishing his dream of creating a university outside Tainan City.

"When you earn money, you should use it wisely and productively," Lee said. New cars, a new house, even new clothes are all things he considers extravagant. "Most people spend their savings so quickly that they lose track of it, but I have been working towards something more substantial," he said.

Lee did not start off wanting to build a university. Twenty years ago, when he married his wife, the two of them began thinking of a life goal. "To do something great" was their shared vision. Every night they would exchange ideas, and when Lee suggested building a university, his wife's first response was "impossible." But slowly she began to think optimistically. "If we have the willpower and stamina to work hard, we can make it happen."

Despite, or perhaps because of their goal, Lee and his wife have led a simple life. At age 14, Lee began making noodles. Waking at five in the morning to prepare for the day, the couple begin selling at around 11 o'clock, and in the afternoon, when the noodles are all gone, he closes the shop and walks across the alley to his "preparatory office" to sit, talk, and relax.

There, he lets himself sink into the couch after the day's work. With a Peace cigarette and a glass of ice water, he sits beside his wife. "This is a routine for us," he says.

"Little man, big vision" is how Lee describes himself and says that consistency and bravery are what has brought him close to achieving his goal. "Some tell me that it is impossible, but we [he and hissupporters] are close to making it happen," he said.

More importantly, Lee's story has motivated many others. Recently, a bus of small restaurant owners from Keelung visited Lee as they were inspired by what he has to say and show society. "Some cried, many thanked me," he said, "they thanked me for making them realize that they are capable of doing something great."

Two weekends ago, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) even paid Lee a visit. "I was very honored to have the president's recognition. ... His presence, as the leader of the country, was very encouraging."

This year alone, more than 500 students from Tainan and around the island have visited Lee's noodle shop and volunteered. They helped with a variety of tasks from washing dishes to selling t-shirts to planting trees on the campus, a plot of land 30 minutes outside Tainan City that Lee bought years ago.