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From a Lifestyle to a Career

Paul Lin organising bags of plastic trash to be taken to his company. (Photo courtesy of Paul Lin)

Paul Lin shares his commitment to eliminating the earth’s plastic waste.

By Gabriella Lynn

Father of three, Paul Lin, is always shocked by the amount of waste his family produces. To promote a healthy and green lifestyle, Lin teaches his children to reduce their plastic waste. But the most important step is what happens after they clean and dump used plastic in a recycling bin.

Paul Lin sorts through trash at the beach. (Photo courtesy of Paul Lin)

Once the recycling bin is full, Lin collects his family’s plastic waste and takes it to his workplace to be transformed into diesel fuel. He has been doing this ever since joining Poseidon Industry, a company in Taiwan that specialises in recycling plastic waste, as a general manager in 2018.

“All my kids know what I do. My son even wrote an essay about what I do in terms of recycling and trying to help out the world,” he chuckles.

Having a green lifestyle is a big part of Lin’s vision for his family and himself because he cares about their surrounding environment. It is also why he decided to join the recycling industry.

“It’s kind of in my blood,” he says.

“All my kids know what I do. My son even wrote an essay about what I do in terms of recycling and trying to help out the world.”

Start of Something New

Born in Taiwan, Lin moved to the United States when he was young. He majored in studio art and minored in digital imaging at university, then worked at a printing house as a designer after graduation. But he left after eight months because he thought the job was boring.

In late 2000, Lin was inspired by a relative who was a real estate broker, and he became a broker himself. He continued working in the property business until 2011. He started a family in between those years and decided to move back to Taiwan to be closer to his parents. Lin launched a trading business that imports home goods from other countries in 2012.

“I never thought I would be doing recycling, real estate, or international trading business. I never had the idea and never thought this would happen back in (university),” he says.

When comparing the four jobs he has had so far, the 42-year-old says his current job is more complicated and requires more effort.

“I’m not (from) this background. I wasn’t a chemical engineering major so it’s really a challenge. I have to look for the kind of plastic we can treat. If a plastic is not recyclable or it has a bad (plastic-to-oil) conversion rate, then there’s no point in sourcing it,” he adds.

The Origin Story

Lin first started wondering about where trash was shipped to at his primary school cafeteria.

“After lunchtime, I saw people who took their trays and threw everything into trashcans, including food, milk bottles and plastic wraps. All these were just dumped into one trash can,” he says, shaking his head.

As he grew older, Lin kept on noticing how wasteful modern lifestyle is.

When working in the trading business, he witnessed excessive use of cargo boxes, shrink wraps, plastic straps and other sorts of packaging materials. Lin tried to minimise the amount of waste by reducing packaging and putting different products in one cargo box. This also helped to cut down on costs.

“I really care about what kind of environment we (live) in. If I can do something for human race, or at least for…Taiwan, that’s something I ought to do,” he says.

“I really care about what kind of environment we (live) in. If I can do something for human race, or at least for…Taiwan, that’s something I ought to do.”

Reverting Plastic to Oil

Lin’s company adopts a technology called pyrolysis that converts plastic back to its original state—petroleum.

The technology can convert 10 tons of plastic waste, sourced from factories and manufacturers, to 6,000 litres of fuel each day. The fuel is a mix of diesel, gasoline, and kerosene.

Types of fuel obtained from plastic pyrolysis. (Photo courtesy of Paul Lin)

The company’s research department has recently discovered that single-use masks which are used globally to protect people from COVID-19, can be recycled into fuel as well. This can help solve waste problem caused by millions of disposed masks.

Lin also notes the increase in trash during the pandemic is choking the planet. “People are staying at home, so they always go online shopping. That probably saves time, but it creates more trash. The demand for cargo boxes (and plastic packaging) has increased tremendously,” he says.

“In today’s world, we want everything to be simple, easy and convenient, but we don’t see that being convenient actually creates more problems,” he adds.

According to the Environmental Protection Association (EPA), a government agency for environmental conservation in Taiwan, the general recycling rate is 55 per cent. A 2017 report from the environmental consulting firm Eunomia notes that it is one of the highest rates worldwide.

Lin adds that Taiwan’s comprehensive recycling regulations make it easier to obtain suitable plastic for pyrolysis.

But he thinks that is not enough.

A study published on Science Advances in 2017 found that only about nine per cent of the world’s plastic was recycled, with the remaining 91 per cent either in landfills or incinerators. “(Plastic waste) is a problem beyond our capability. We just do the one per cent out of the 91 per cent. Without other people’s help, our contribution is nothing,” Lin says.

The team at Poseidon Industry with bags of trash collected from the beach. (Photo courtesy of Paul Lin)

Working Hand-in-Hand

Lin urges people to work together to overcome the problem of plastic waste.

“If you take a step back to look at the whole picture, it’s not just your house, your neighbourhood, your city, or your country. We’re talking about this whole world!” he says.

Lin feels happy that more and more people are joining forces to help save the earth. People around him have all started to be more waste-conscious. They give Lin’s company plastic waste from their homes and offices, just like what Lin does for his own family.

Hoping his company can increase the plastic recycling rate in the coming 50 years, he vows to continue working in the recycling industry to make that happen.

“(The moment) I made a decision to join this company, I made a decision to make this company my entire career. This could be a career for life,” he says.

Edited by Patricia Ricafort
Sub-edited by Sarah Ryou

It’s Never too Old to Start a Trip

Su Min before marriage, about 1986 (Photo Courtesy of Su Min)

Su Min travels around China to find freedom and happiness in her life.

By Sophia Wu

Su Min, a retired woman, has been travelling alone since September 2020. From Zhengzhou to Sanya, the 57-year-old has so far covered over 10,000 km.

Su wants to escape from a repressive marriage by travelling.

Born and educated in Tibet, Su returned to her hometown Henan with her parents after finishing high school.

After that, she lived in Henan for decades and had many jobs such as a factory worker, a cook, and a supermarket worker.

She met her husband through a matchmaker in 1986, and she married within a year. After marriage, Su gradually found her husband stingy.

“At first I was jobless, and he gave me money to cover my living expenses and checked my spending every month. But I could not remember everything, so he began to question whether I gave money to my brothers,” Su recalls. 

Later, Su worked as a dressmaker and became financially independent. But her husband’s pickiness made her feel depressed at home.

“I was born an outgoing person. But my husband loved picking on every word I said. I became depressed and stopped talking to him and other people,” she says.

From 2016, Su helped take care of her twin grandchildren. She had to stay at home most of the day. 

“When I took care of my grandchildren, I had to face my husband every day at home. That made me feel worse,” Su says.

Her desire to leave her family grew stronger.

Embark on a Journey

Su watched some videos about self-driving travel on the internet in 2019. Then she had the idea of doing a tour herself.

“I bought a car after retirement because I really wanted to get rid of the life of frequent quarrels at home. I wanted to give it a try,” Su says.

“This is a carefully planned escape,” she says.

Su started practicing, driving her Volkswagen Polo for short trips in neighboring attractions such as the Zhongyuan Tower in the summer of 2020.

Su Min’s self-driving tour equipment (Photo Courtesy of Su Min)

Su’s grandchildren went to kindergarten in September 2020. The grandmother was ready to start her journey. 

Su quickly bought a roof tent and other travel equipment such as a portable energy storage device and a stove online.

“At first, my daughter was worried. I showed her those self-driving tour videos on the internet, and I told her my travelling would be helpful for family harmony. She finally agreed,” Su says.

On September 24, 2020, Su departed from Zhengzhou and headed south.

Su did not have a clear plan for her journey.

“When I set off, I drove on a road passing through Xi’an, so I went there. Then an old friend in Chengdu invited me. I went directly to Chengdu and spent more than 20 days there,” Su says.

Apart from gatherings with her old friend, Su met new friends in Chengdu.

“I went to see a recreational vehicle show and met campers who organized a trip to Yunnan. So, I joined them,” Su says.

Su travelled to more than 20 cities in Yunnan. The beautiful scenery left a deep impression on her.

Su Min at Erhai Beach in Yunnan, Nov 2020 (Photo Courtesy of Su Min)

She took a ferry trip to Hainan with her car in January 2021. “The weather in the south is very warm, and I see blue skies,” Su says with a smile.

Difficulties in Travel 

Su also had difficult times during the journey.

Su travels on a tight budget. She rarely visits attractions that charge entrance fees. She just walks around.

Su Min took a ferry ride to Hainan in January 2021 (Photo Courtesy of Su Min)

There were times when she did not have enough money. Su chose to live at a campsite instead of going out. She waited for her pension to be credited into her bank account, then she continued her journey.

Su also had difficulties when looking for campsites in Yunnan.

“One day I found an ecological parking lot on the internet. The time was after 7 p.m., and the site was in the mountains, 51 km away from where I was,” Su says.

Su arrived at the parking lot around 9 p.m., and she found that there were only two houses. The houses were lit and with tables and chairs inside. But there was no one except Su.

“Feeling scared, I immediately drove away. There were no signals in the mountains. I drove for 40 minutes before spotting a village. Then after 20 minutes, my mobile phone was able to navigate. Finally, I got on the highway and found a site to rest,” Su says.

Su always avoided taking highways because the car used to be linked to her husband’s payment card. One day, Su took a highway trip and spent RMB ¥81 (US $12.6). 

Her husband asked her to pay back the fee the next day. Su was very angry and removed his card from the car. 

That was the first and last contact Su had with her husband since she started her journey.

New Scenery

Su makes vlogs to subsidize travel expenses from click rewards and shares her travel life with netizens.

Su Min has been traveling around China by driving since 2020 (Photo Courtesy of Su Min)

In the summer of 2020, she began to make some short videos with her mobile phone. In October, she bought a second-hand GoPro and learned production skills online.

Su opened her account “50-year-old Auntie Self-driving Tour” on Douyin, one of the most popular short video sharing platforms in China and other social media platforms to update her activities. On Douyin, she has nearly 300,000 fans.

Su has made many friends by travelling and vlogging. When travelling in Yunnan, friends driving recreational vehicles protected her car from strong wind. In Sanya and Wenchang, she lived with fans who follow her on social media for a few days.

Su thinks that travel brings her sunshine and happiness.

Su Min’s travel photo-before going to Hainan, Dec 2020 (Photo Courtesy of Su Min)


“Now I am free and don’t need to be a free babysitter at home. I feel good, and I haven’t thought about going home yet.”

“Now I am free and don’t need to be a free babysitter at home. I feel good, and I haven’t thought about going home yet,” Su says.

Edited by Sarah Ryou
Sub-edited by Alice Wang

Travel with Locals

Zhang Junqi and her camera. (Photo courtesy of Zhang Junqi)

By Glacier He

Travel Vlogger Zhang Junqi wants to show people a different way of travelling — making friends with locals.

On December 21, 2020, a 24-year-old travel vlogger Zhang Junqi had a special winter solstice dinner during her trip in Heilongjiang Province, China.

Zhang ate dumplings at a police station with her new friends whom she met on her journey. Eating dumplings is a tradition of winter solstice for most people in northern China. 

“I did not expect that my first visit to a police office would be having a meal to celebrate winter solstice with two policemen,” Zhang recalls. “This experience is so magical,” she says.

Zhang encountered one of the police officers on the street when she was taking photos for her vlog. The officer drove close to her and asked whether the police car blocked her view of photo-taking. 

“We had a nice conversation and that was how our friendship began…Now we are still in touch,” Zhang says.

“My first visit to a police office would be having a meal to celebrate winter solstice with two policemen.”

Turning Hobby into A Career

Zhang shares her travel experience on Little Red Book, a Chinese social media platform, where she runs an account named Pipi with nearly 200,000 followers. 

Growing up in Beijing, Zhang studied communication at the University of Southern California for her undergraduate degree. Influenced by the entrepreneurial atmosphere there, she set up her own photography platform in 2018 during her third year of study.

“Almost everyone around me started a business, so I thought I should start one too,” Zhang says. “But I did not know what I wanted to do and I did not find much pleasure in starting a business (during my undergraduate study),” she adds.

Zhang is now on a gap year of her postgraduate study at Columbia University in New York where she studies risk management.

“(In New York,) the atmosphere encourages people to try something new and that broadens my horizon,” Zhang says.

“I ran into a primary school classmate who is now a food blogger in New York. So, I started to think why can’t I turn my hobby (of travelling around the world) into a career and give it a try,” she says.

On April 10, 2020, Zhang started sharing a set of photos she took online. She did some photo uploads during quarantine after returning to China from the United States. It was her first shot, and it became a hit with over 10,000 likes on Little Red Book, a social media platform used in China, in two days.

Zhang Junqi in the northeast of China.
(Photo courtesy of Zhang Junqi)

Make Friends with Locals During Travel

When choosing travel destinations, Zhang avoids visiting internet-famous tourist attractions and big cities.

“I can see pictures of those tourist attractions online and there is nothing new… Seeing a different kind of lifestyle and digging out something new by myself is my way of travelling,” Zhang says.

“Seeing a different kind of lifestyle and digging out something new by myself is my way of travelling.”

During her trip in Mohe, the northernmost city of China, Zhang chose Beihong Village instead of Beiji Village, which is a much more famous place for Chinese tourists. She found Beiji Village highly developed as a tourist attraction and that was boring in her view.

“(Beihong Village) is undeveloped. I saw many chimneys and people dragging carriages. I think it is so cool,” Zhang says. “It is a small place, but it has distinct characters,” she adds.

Zhang also prefers travelling alone, because she thinks this can help her make friends with locals. “I think the most interesting way of travelling is to get involved into villagers’ lives,” she explains. 

“I think the most interesting way of travelling is to get involved into villagers’ lives.”

“You do not need to care about what others think. You can just do what you want to do (if you travel alone),” Zhang says. “And I may not make as many new friends as I do now, if I travel with my own friends. I would have spent more time with my friends,” she says.

For Zhang, being a travel vlogger sometimes can be burdensome while travelling. She has to think about what to film all the time.

“But this also gives me more chances to have unique experiences,” Zhang says. “I made friends with a man who sold candied haws (a traditional Chinese snack) on the street, because I was looking for something to film for my videos,” she recalls.

Zhang still stays in touch with friends she made when travelling. She is also planning to send them some gifts.

Zhang Junqi with her luggage in front of a train. (Photo courtesy of Zhang Junqi)

Find Your Passion

Though Zhang has experience in travelling alone, sometimes she still finds it challenging. 

When trying to film fish catch on Chagan Lake in Jilin Province in winter, she stayed in a freezing environment for several hours. But she accidentally broke her camera and missed the chance to film the moment when the fish were caught.

Zhang was frustrated at first. But luckily she met some fishermen who were happy to lend her gloves and keep her company. One of them even recognized her the next day, after she managed to sort out her emotions and decided to film again.

“Although there are some difficulties along the way, I still find this job (of being a travel vlogger) worthwhile,” Zhang says. 

“Although there are some difficulties along the way, I still find this job worthwhile.”

Now Zhang can only travel around China due to COVID-19. She also expresses her strong desire to travel abroad after the pandemic.

“I think I will continue my career as a travel vlogger in the future,” Zhang says. “I just want to show people there is a different way of travelling (during which you can make friends with locals). It’s my passion,” she says.

“We can afford to fail at university. So just be brave and find your passion.”

“I also want to tell other young people that we can afford to fail at university. So just be brave and find your passion,” the young girl who loves to laugh adds.

Edited by Alice Wang & Shell Zhang
Sub-edited by Savoki Zhang

Buy What You Love

Collecting anime goods has become more and more popular among young people in China recently.

By Alina Chen in Shenzhen

  • Sometimes fan-made goods are also popular.
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Collecting anime goods has become more and more popular among young people in China recently.

Sophie Luo, a university student, has spent around RMB ¥13,000 on anime goods in just six months. Her collection features various anime, comic and games such as Idolish7, Haikyu!! and Jujutsu Kaisen.

She says: “Now I have 138 items of Jujutsu Kaisen. I usually buy RMB ¥6,000 to RMB ¥7,000 goods for one anime work.” She uses some goods to decorate her desk and stores the rest.

“My parents don’t say anything about my collection because I spend money that I have saved up only and do not ask for more, But I won’t tell them the real price (of the goods),” she laughs.

Many collectors have grouped together to form their own communities to share information about new goods and make friends.

One of the biggest groups on Weibo, a social media platform like Twitter, named 우樂買穀bot, has more than 60,000 followers. There are also many trading groups on QQ which is an instant messaging app. Collectors make second-hand transaction and find buying group members in the trading groups.

Another collector Jessica Liao, has spent more than RMB ¥10,000 in just ten months. She says that buying goods is simply because of love for anime characters and related products.

She thinks purchasing anime goods is a way to support the creators. “The cost of a badge is a few cents, but its selling price is more than RMB ¥30. The creators make money from these products,” she says.

Collectors in China seek help from buying groups which are also anime goods collectors. They organise themselves to make orders through purchasing agents. Usually organisers collect money from other members via WeChat pay or Alipay in advance to preorder goods.

Liao started collecting anime goods in April 2020 and opened a buying group five months later. She is a clerk working in Shenzhen. When she decided to open a buying group, she was not busy with her work.

She used about two days to find group members. It took her one or two hours every day to communicate with them at the first few weeks.

Now she has to handle about 70 items in each group buying activity.

After receiving all the goods shipped from Japan to China, she has to open all boxes, label all items and package them for every buyer.

“I have to package each item very nicely to avoid potential damage when the goods are being transported to buyers. My workstation is like a recycling depot loaded with cardboard boxes and bubble wrap,” she says.

She does not make or lose any money from buying group. For her, opening a buying group is just a way to get anime goods.

After preordering, collectors usually need to wait for several months to receive the goods. Liao says her mood might has changed after such a long time. But still she gains pleasure from her collection.

Sub-edited by Savoki Zhang

A New Notion For Your Life

(Screenshot of Notion’s official website)

Branding itself as an “all-in-one workspace”, Notion is a tool that helps users organise and keep track of their work and life. 

By Alina Chen in Shenzhen

Lion Li, a product manager of an internet company, learnt about Notion from YouTube and has been using it for two months.

Now the 27-year-old spends more than ten hours using Notion every day. “The app helps organise my daily life, work and study schedule,” Li says.

“I have to jot down notes to remind myself about what I have to do every day,” she says. As a product manager, Li has over 1,000 work documents to organise, as well as many reading notes, as she likes writing.

Replicating a notebook but going beyond simple text storage to a flexible database, Notion becomes a top choice for heavy users like Li looking for a sophisticated note-taking app.

To help users start using this app, Notion has made some video instruction introducing its basic functions. 

(Screenshot of Notion’s official YouTube account)

While Notion is friendly for beginners to start with, its advanced features come with a learning curve. Many experienced users, including Li, also upload videos sharing user tips on YouTube and Bilibili. Li says she wants to share and communicate with others because this app helps her save time.

Advanced features also boost flexibilities. Among them the most appealing is the unlimited nested feature, a function that allows users to embed a page inside another page. The two pages will have an inclusion relation.

“Every piece of content user adds to Notion is called a ‘block’. Page is one type of blocks. Other types of blocks including checkboxes, images, videos, databases and PDFs.”

“Thanks to Notion’s unlimited nested feature, you can nest unlimited pages and tables to help you manage a project,” Li says.

(Screen capture of Notion to show a brief instruction of the program)

The app is free for personal use. For those who need more functions, they can try different paid plans. Students and educators can sign up with their school email addresses to use free Personal Pro version.

“Free version is good enough, because notion has already removed limitation of creating pages in personal free version,” she says. 

(Screen shot of Notion’s different paid plans)

Notion is available on various platforms like Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Its personal computer version has full functions. Users usually need to build his/her systems on laptop before using it on mobile phone or iPad. 

Notion now has English and Korean version. Give it a try and it may be a new workplace. It is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Sub-edited by Savoki Zhang

Burning the Midnight Oil

Reporters: Charleen Chen in Hsinchu, Laurissa Liu, Sarah Ryou in Jakarta

Universities around the world have adopted online teaching due to the pandemic. But the time zone difference between universities and students’ home countries means many online classes have to be conducted late at night. Varsity interviewed some students in Italy, Egypt, China and Korea to see how their lives are impacted.

Budding Businesses amid the Pandemic

Budding Businesses amid the Pandemic

Reporter: Patricia Ricafort

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a blow to economies all around the world. Hong Kong is no exception. But even in this troubling time, some still choose to start new businesses.  

Fitness Revolution

Reporters: Charlie Yip, Mandy Yim

Under COVID-19, virtual fitness becomes the new norm. Fitness enthusiasts and coaches continue their workout routines with online videos during the pandemic.

Art in Frames

Reporters: Agnes Lam, Bonita Wong

The national security law came into effect on June 30, 2020. It generates fear and uncertainties among artists and the art industry. Three artists share with us their changes, worries and hopes.

Uniform Across the Strait

Reporters: Fiona Cheung, Isaiah Hui, Kelly Yu, Linn Wu in Taipei

Students in Hong Kong are required to wear school uniform to reinforce group identity. But some students do not like their uniforms.

Students in Taiwan have started campaigning for changes in their dress codes, while Hong Kong students just begin their journey of looking for options.

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