Yang Yu-hsuan

Yang Yu-hsuan, a former university lecturer in Taiwan, has found a new purpose across the Taiwan Strait in Fujian province, where she launched a business focused on rural vitalization.

"As a teacher, I always encouraged my students to visit the mainland and see its development for themselves," Yang said. "Eventually, I realized that if they were coming, I should too."

Yang holds a doctoral degree in classical literature, design aesthetics and cultural communication from Feng Chia University in Taiwan. Before relocating to Xiamen in 2019, she taught at several universities.

Originally from Taipei, Yang brought community-building concepts from the island to Fujian. She has worked and lived alongside villagers to help preserve each community's unique cultural identity.

Her company, Fujian Xianxian Cultural and Creative Co, designs projects and products for rural communities. It focuses on improving villagers' living environments by enhancing public areas and spaces for the elderly. The team has launched cultural tourism projects such as creative homestays and rural cafes.

The company's projects have expanded to cities including Zhangzhou and Longyan in Fujian.

"We want to make life more comfortable for villagers," Yang said.

At the 2025 Straits Youth Forum, a civil exchange event for young people from both the mainland and Taiwan held in Xiamen on June 15, Yang's company was recognized as one of the outstanding startup projects led by Taiwan entrepreneurs in Fujian. The recognition is part of a provincial initiative aimed at encouraging young people from Taiwan to start businesses in the province.

Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, acknowledged Fujian's efforts to attract Taiwan youth.

"The cultural closeness between Fujian and Taiwan made Taiwan people feel at home," Hsiao said.

Yang noted that support for Taiwan entrepreneurs has grown over the years. She receives a monthly housing subsidy of 2,000 yuan ($278), and her company qualifies for a 50 percent rent subsidy for office space provided by the local government.

In April, authorities in the Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone rolled out a series of measures to support young entrepreneurs from Taiwan. These include financial incentives and rent subsidies for startups, as well as an annual subsidy of 12,000 yuan for each newly hired young employee from Taiwan.

Thanks to a subsidized housing policy, Yang recently bought an apartment in Xiamen.

"Buying my own home made me feel truly settled here," she said.

Yang is also a mother of two — a kindergartner and a ninth-grader. "My children attend school just like their mainland peers," she said.

In September 2023, Fujian was designated a demonstration zone for cross-Strait integrated development. Since then, the province has worked to become the first choice for Taiwan residents seeking to live and work on the mainland. With targeted policies gradually taking effect, more young Taiwan entrepreneurs have begun to benefit.

"We hire young people from Taiwan and bring them to work in Fujian," Yang said. Her company has so far employed more than a dozen staff members from Taiwan.

"With a one-to-one ratio of employees from both sides of the Strait, an integrated and balanced office culture has naturally taken shape," she said.

Yang also encourages her peers from Taiwan to start their own ventures.

"The policy support has greatly eased the burden for entrepreneurs," she said. "It gives us the freedom to pursue what we truly want to do."