It’s a story that sounds more like something out of a movie script.
A while back, I was browsing GitHub looking for some new tool or library—can’t remember exactly what. I was mostly trying to find something that’d make my workflow less painful. Instead, I found something way more interesting.
Someone had uploaded a project called “fun-rec”. That name alone caught my attention. But what really got me was the project description. It read something like: “A recommendation system tutorial, from a gyoza restaurant near BUPT.”
At first, I thought it was a joke. But no—this was a real project, maintained by someone who actually runs a dumpling shop near Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.
And the project wasn’t about dumplings either.
It was a full-blown Git tutorial. Not just any tutorial—one that was clearly designed for beginners who had never touched a terminal before. Clean, step-by-step, with real-world scenarios you’d actually encounter. Like “How to revert a botched commit” or “The right way to handle merge conflicts.” It was genuinely useful.
And the README had this line: “Master Git in 30 minutes, or your money back.” Which is quite funny, because the tutorial was free.
I later found out the owner used to work as a developer before opening the shop. He saw his customers—students and young engineers—struggle with version control in their internships and side projects. So he built this resource, hosted it on GitHub, and even put a QR code on the shop’s tables leading to the repo.
You can’t make this stuff up.
The project hasn’t gone viral or anything. It’s got a modest number of stars. But what’s interesting is that it’s incredibly practical. The author clearly knows his audience—people who don’t have a CS background but need Git for work. The explanations skip the jargon. He uses plain language like “Think of it as a time machine for your code.” It’s probably the least pretentious Git guide I’ve ever come across.
This project makes me appreciate something.
We often talk about “open source spirit” as if it’s this abstract idea pushed by big companies. But the reality is, open source has always been about people sharing things they built to solve their own problems, or the problems of people around them.
This person didn’t need to write a tutorial. He runs a restaurant. He could’ve just taken the order and served the gyoza. But he saw a gap and filled it. That’s the entire ethos.
It’s also a reminder that you don’t need to be a seasoned developer to contribute something meaningful. You don’t need to start a huge framework or write a book. You can just create a small, tightly-focused resource that helps a few people get unstuck. That’s still a win.
For anyone just getting into version control, or teaching someone else, check out the “git-tips” repo. That’s the actual project name—found it while digging through the related repos. Doesn’t have a fancy homepage or a corporate sponsor. Just solid, no-nonsense content.
And maybe next time you’re in Beijing, stop by that dumpling shop. I hear the pork and chive is good.
Let’s be honest though—I’m mostly sharing this because it’s a great story. But also because the tutorial itself is genuinely well-written. If you’ve ever struggled with Git, and felt intimidated by the command line, give it a look. It might change how you think about version control.
And if nothing else, it’s a nice reminder of what open source really is. A small act of sharing that makes the world just a little bit better.