Li Zhizhi, 106, at h me in the t wn f Chengshan in r ngcheng f Shand ng Pr vince.

　　Li Zhizhi became a special guest of honour at the recent opening of a new Peking Duck restaurant in Rongcheng, a city in East China's Shandong Province.

　　Li, 106 years old, was awarded the honour as a mark of his contribution to the rise of the now famous Quanjude Peking Roast Duck Restaurant in Beijing.

　　Li has a long story to tell about his connection with the Quanjude roast duck.

　　In 1917, when Li was just 19 years old, he first started working in a Tianjin restaurant. He and several fellow villagers later went to Beijing, where he worked as an apprentice at Quanjude.

　　The work opened a new chapter in his life.

　　Li was confined to the dirty work to start with, from killing the ducks to washing the dishes. He still remembers carrying buckets of swill weighing some 100 kilogrammes more than a kilometre to a dump. "We had to do this several times a day," he said.

　　But his hard work and dedication soon won trust from then chief manager Yang Qingmao. And when Yang learned Li had actually been to school for five years, he made him restaurant accountant.

　　When Yang died in 1930, Li Ziming, who succeeded Yang, promoted Li Zhizhi to deputy manager of the restaurant.

Quanjude r ast duck

　　These are days long gone for Li Zhizhi, but he is still nostalgic about the days when celebrities from all walks of life walked through the doors of the Quanjude.

　　"I still retain a deep impression of Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), the renowned Peking Opera master, because I am one of his fans," said Li.

　　Quanjude roast duck

　　Customers would call to book tables in advance, and when they started ringing in the middle of the night, Li took the phone off the hook to allow his staff their sleep.

　　Frequent customers set up accounts rather than paying in cash, and this became a major part of Li's role.

　　Li said: "I had to buy a bike to make it more convenient for me to operate the accounts and visit clients."

　　In 1939, Manager Li Ziming died.

　　Li Zhizhi was regarded as the new boss by all the staff - chefs and waiters alike, although there was never any formal appointment.

　　He set up a strict regime, forbidding members of staff to play cards, drink alcohol at work, or stay out later than closing time.

　　One waiter, Pan, learned this to his cost, having been instantly fired when he was discovered to have prized open the locked back door to get back in late.

　　"Even the master tried to get a pardon for him but I insisted on my decision. We can't violate established practices," said Li.

　　When Japan invaded China in the late 1930s, Quanjude's business suffered. Unwilling to make roast duck for the Japanese, Li left the restaurant for his hometown in Rongcheng in 1940.

　　"I couldn't carry on with my beloved work in Quanjude during the war, which is my lifelong regret," Li said.

　　Today, centenarian Li lives a happy and peaceful life with his only son's family. Every day he exercises, no matter what the weather throws at him. His food habits have had to change, though, now unable to digest the heavier dishes he once worked with.