Sayun Hayong, a young woman from the Atayal tribe of China's Taiwan, has dedicated herself to promoting cross-Strait relations by helping her peers from the region build their careers in the Chinese mainland.
Sayun first traveled to the mainland 15 years ago, eager to see the Forbidden City, the Palace Museum, and the Great Wall in real life, rather than on the television or through textbooks where she had first learned about these landmarks.
On her very first tour to Beijing, Sayun Hayong decided to stay in Beijing instead of going back to Taiwan.
She is now based in Shanghai, where she works for the Shanghai Binghuo Culture and Technology Company. Her duties include showing groups of young people from Taiwan around Shanghai, and helping them to find work opportunities there as part of the "Haishang Hui" platform run by her company.
Sayun says she has introduced hundreds of young people from Taiwan to her adopted home city on the mainland over the years
"I came to Shanghai in 2016, after my partner eventually persuaded me, much like the 'three visits to the cottage' story. The purpose of building this platform is to help more young people from Taiwan, who are just like I was back then, quickly solve their problems through our services. If you want to start a business and have a plan, great, just tell us what you need. From zero to one, we provide full-process, one-stop support here," she said.
"We have been facilitating cross-strait exchanges for over a decade, with young people from Taiwan coming here by themselves. Throughout this process, some have ended up staying because of the events they attended, while others have returned home and shared their experiences with many others," said Zhang Weida, president of the Shanghai Binghuo Culture and Technology Company.
Among the young people from Taiwan who have taken advantage of the "Haishang Hui" platform in Shanghai is Wu Ching-Ying, who is originally from Taichung in Taiwan.
"It was Shanghai's rapid development, its convenience, and the greater opportunities here that made me decide to stay and give it a try. So, last year, I decided to settle down here," said Wu.
Under the "Haishang Hui" platform, young people like Wu get a ready-made network of businesses in Shanghai to help further their dreams.
"We focus primarily on local enterprises. Why? Because now that you've come to the Chinese mainland, I want to encourage you to step out of your own circles and leave your comfort zone. Only by interacting and working together can you truly discover the beauty here," explains Sayun.
"At first, I knew nothing about it. When young people from Taiwan want to come to Shanghai for development, the platform provides us with job-seeking assistance. It's somewhat like a guiding light for us," said Wu.
For Sayun, helping others gives her a deep sense of fulfillment.
"I want to help as many as I can, just like how so many people helped me when I was in an unfamiliar city back then," she said.
Young woman from Taiwan dedicated to facilitating cross-Strait exchanges
