Shuzhen Ge

Ge Shuzhen was born in Shilong Village, Lianhua Township, Kaiyuan County, Liaoning Province, in 1979. At the age of 19, in 1979, she married Zhao Benshan from Lianhua Village, Lianhua Township. After marriage, she took on most household chores and farm work. She has one daughter, Zhao Yufang, and one son, Zhao Tiedan. Zhao Tiedan, born in 1982, is a deaf-mute child.

In 1987, Zhao Benshan achieved a breakthrough at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, becoming widely famous nationwide, and his career rapidly developed. As a result, the financial and living pressures on the couple gradually increased, leading to their divorce on May 7, 1991. According to the divorce agreement, Zhao Benshan paid a total of 250,000 yuan in living expenses, child support, and medical expenses for Ge Shuzhen and her children. He also gifted her a XiaLi taxi, a three-bedroom-and-one-living-room apartment with internal furnishings.

After the divorce, Ge Shuzhen focused primarily on raising her children and refused to consider remarriage. She had considered marriage again after being introduced by Ma Lijuan, a female teacher at Liaoning Opera School, but ultimately did not follow through. She alone raised her children, including her daughter Zhao Yufang and her deaf-mute son Zhao Tiedan.

Ge Shuzhen’s career began with significant difficulties. She previously worked as a dishwasher in a hotpot restaurant, earning 150 yuan a month, mainly used for purchasing medicine for her son. In the winter of 1994, her husband Zhao Tiedan passed away from a heart condition, plunging the family into grief and causing her health to suffer temporarily. After recovering, she worked as a clerk at a shop in Tieling City but soon lost her job when the shop owner moved away. Subsequently, she operated a stall in a wholesale market selling socks, hats, and other goods, but business was difficult due to her lack of experience and city law enforcement restrictions. She then worked as a general laborer at a dumpling shop, earning about 200 yuan per month, all of which was spent on her children’s education.

In 1999, Zhao Yufang was admitted to the English Department at Dalian University of Foreign Languages, becoming a “mother supporting her studies.” After graduating in 2003, Zhao Yufang joined the Dalian Public Security Bureau as an office clerk. As her children’s careers gradually advanced, Ge Shuzhen also entered the restaurant business, taking over a failing “Wei Zhen Xiang” restaurant in Dalian. After renovation and management adjustments, her income steadily increased. In 2004, Zhao Yufang transferred to work at the Ben Shan Art College of Liaoning University, further improving the family’s economic situation.

Throughout her career, Ge Shuzhen continuously strived and demonstrated strong entrepreneurial ability. She established a catering business, maintaining steady monthly income and gradually increasing her wealth. She exhibited resilience and independence in overcoming difficulties, relying on her own efforts rather than her former husband's financial support, gradually improving her family’s living conditions through labor and income.