Tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born and raised in Guangzhou, China, and moved to Singapore at the age of 15. I subsequently completed my secondary education and university studies here.
I majored in Business in National University of Singapore (NUS), specialising in Finance and Operations. However, I discovered that my true passion lay elsewhere, as I didn’t feel energised during finance classes.
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Tell us about yourself?
Born and raised in Chongqing, China, I moved to Singapore at the age of 15. I pursued Industrial Engineering for my undergraduate degree before diving into a PhD focused on electricity power grid management. Now, I find myself on a fascinating career pivot towards energy trading.
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A 5-day week and a 2-day weekend is the cornerstone of how we live our life, and arrange our schedule. We seldom think that life rhythm could be otherwise. But do you know that China only formalized two-day weekend as recent as 1995? It sounds so bizarre that I called my mum to ask her about it.
“Yeah, you are right”, my mum confirmed it over the phone, “That’s even after you were born…”
“Not only did we have no official weekend, people stayed late in the office. There was no concept of personal time. Even if you asked people to go home, they did not know what to do with their time.” Continue reading
If you have not already heard of the Chinese blockbuster Wolf Warrior 2, hey, it’s time to find out. My WeChat Moment (Chinese equivalent of Facebook) has recently been bombarded by this movie. Its popularity is unheard of – no.2 movie ever in China in terms of box office, 2.5 billion RMB ($400M) within 10 days (Ent Group Research).
Wolf Warriers 2 is more than its high ticket sales. It is a cultural phenomenon. The modern Chinese hero portrayed in the movie has taken over the hearts of millions of Chinese. It has been a hot topic since, discussed in news, WeChat and Weibo (Chinese equivalent of Twitter).
What’s that all about? With a cautious dose of curiosity, I walked in a cinema. Continue reading
The English article is originally published on DBS Foundation Asiaforgood.com in 2016
“We want to change ‘solar cell’ from a distant concept into an everyday phenomenon.” Says Yves Zuo Yu social entrepreneur from Pionovasion. Continue reading
Guo Pei conducting training sessions for the youth
This bilingual article is originally published on Asia for Good in 2016
Be Better, a China-based social enterprise (SE) is one of the first organisations to offer financial education to children and youth in the country.
Be Better champions financial education in China. Aflatoun financial education, one of the SE’s programmes, targets young children, while the youth chapter Aflateen caters to those aged 16 to 25 years old. In 7 years, they have established centres in 36 cities and helped 326 schools and communities. Continue reading
Originally published on Asia for Good in 2016
Beijing Baoyi started with an app that allowed the blind to use a smartphone. Now they’re serving visually impaired children with an audio book app that kids and parents love.
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ReLight lamp design “Milk Way”
Originally published on Asia for Good in 2016
They look good and they reduce waste. Meet ReLight, the Beijing-born upcycled lamps.
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Fen Lei De’s founder Yang Jingshan participates in community recycle project with primary school students
This bilingual article is originally published on Asia for Good in 2016
Think recycling isn’t a lucrative industry? Yang Jing Shan, founder of Guangzhou-based social enterprise Fen Lei De begs to differ. Continue reading
the founders of Business Ecology: Sun Haiyan (left) and Sun Yang (right)
“We are not explaining environmental concepts as an isolated topic, but looking at it as an integral part of our economy and society. We are finding the ‘Tao’ (the way) of sustainable business and living. ” Said Sun Yang, one of the two founders of Business Ecology.
Since 2011, Business Ecology has been communicating sustainable living in China. It started humble with a quarterly magazine.
Today, Business Ecology has developed into a creative communication platform. It aims to bring a mindset shift in the country – exploring new business models that feed into the virtuous cycles within the ecosystem. Business Ecology offers services in four categories: media, think tank, consulting, and education. Continue reading
Cao Jun, founder of Bao Yi Yue Ting
The bilingual article is originally published on Asia for Good in November, 2015
Feeling frustrated with not able to use smart phones, Cao Jun (himself visually challenged) decided to develop an app to bridge the gap between the blind and those who can see. In 2008, he established his very own social enterprise Beijing Bao yi Interactive. Continue reading
This bilingual article is originally published on Asia for Good in November, 2015
Eleven-year-old Haichuan lives in Liuzao county, a migrant community in Shanghai. Although he is 11, he is quite petite and looks like a five-year-old. Low on confidence because of his height, he had no friends and did not want to participate in any activity.
Not knowing how to address this problem, Haichuan’s mother sent him to the district Aflatoun Centre.
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Celebrating Yale-China Association’s 115 years of anniversary with David Youtz (left, Executive Director of Yale-China), Cynthia Sung (2nd right, trustee of Yale-China), and Neil Clarke (right, professor in Yale-NUS)
A week ago, I attended the 115 years anniversary of Yale-China Association in Singapore. It was very emotional to me because I would not be who I am today without Yale-China.
Born and raised in Changsha, the capital city of the Hunan province, I went to Yali Middle School, which was founded by Yale-China 110 years ago.
One of the best schools in the province, Yali Middle School is known for nurturing students with different talents, not only academic achievements.
Every year, Yale-China sends Yale graduates to my school as English tutors. Ms. Ming Thompson was my teacher. Her personal attention and patience lightened up my teenage years.
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The Programme Director Cyndy Tan (left) and founder Cheah Kim (right) of STOP with orphans supported by Good Rock Foundation in Xinjiang, China
This bilingual article is originally published on DBS Foundation website Asia For Good in October, 2015
Originally from Singapore, Cyndy Tan left her senior marketing job in a bank for Shanghai to set up STOP (Save The Orphans & Poor), in China.
S.T.O.P. Poverty Limited focuses on providing a vocational platform for youngsters from poor families and teen orphans who are ready to leave the orphanage that has been their home. Having impacted 23 youth so far, the social enterprise is also helping 33 orphans through various partnerships in Shanghai.
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Poster of Taobao’s maker’s Festival
Does “made in China” still sound like cheap copycat to you? If so, time to think twice.
A group of Chinese makers are challenging the old perception of “made in China”. Among them, most are Chinese millennial. In China, they are called “post-80s” and “post-90s” generations.
The millennials are the most individualistic and outspoken Chinese in history. They have grown up in a China that is strikingly different from that of their parents. In the past 40 years, China has witnessed an impressive accumulation of wealth and penetration of internet.
Not surprisingly, some of the Chinese millennials are satisfied with the “assembly line”(流水线) production. When they can’t find products that speak their voices, they create one. From individual endeavour to collective efforts of like-minded, maker culture is born. Continue reading
Sharing the same moon in the Tanjong Pagar Shop House areas, Singapore
“Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! (Zhongqiujie, 中秋节)!” My friend texted me over the phone. “But my families are not in town. My brother is in the Philippines and my parents are in France. So I don’t have family gatherings and relative visits this year.”
“Well, at least your families share the same moon,” I texted him back. “Don’t be sad, my friend.”
Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, it is also celebrated in other Asian countries such such as Korea and Singapore.
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After a family meal in a restaurant, my dad was about to take his wallet. The QR code on the table caught his eye “pay with mobile phone, enjoy discount immediately.”
“Why don’t you try digital wallet, since everybody else is using it?” My mum suggested.
With slight hesitation (my dad can be skeptical sometimes), he took his phone instead.
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“Shadow and light are inseparable. We can’t just focus on the bright side (光明面),” said Mr Li Zhensheng, the artist behind the photography exhibition the Archive of Cultural Revolution. “In China, we still can’t talk about Cultural Revolution.”
The “shadow” refers to the dark side of Cultural Revolution, which was a tragic period of Chinese history. It is highly controversial, and is still a taboo in the Chinese society. Continue reading
Uncle and auntie performing, apparently enjoying themselves
It was a weekend, my parents and I were enjoying the serenity in Baiyun Mountain (a famous scenery site in Guangzhou, China). It was all quiet and peaceful until we heard some loud music.
Where was the music coming from? Continue reading
Shenzhou Zhuanche’s weibo (Chinese twitter)’s cover photo
Uber China’s surrender to Didi Chuxing made a splash in the tech community 4 days ago. When the world is still in the aftershock of Uber-didi merge, Shenzhou Zhuanche, a major taxi-hailing app in China is already grabbing Uber China’s talents.
Hash-tagged #loveu, Shenzhou Zhuanche CEO has made the offer through his weibo (China’s twitter) today at 4pm. The generous package includes 6 months bonus and stock options. Continue reading
Xintian Observes 心恬看世界 