Holding bachelor degrees in Journalism & Communication Studies and English Language & Literature, I'm currently working for Lonely Planet Magazine as an editor. I've backpacked alone in most of the East Asian countries since 2013. People usually ask me, "What did you get from travel?" To be honest, I'm not able to clearly answer this question; however, I'll say there is something emerging gradually, and most of all, I learn not to rashly judge others, especially from a cross-cultural perspective, based on stereotypes, such as saying "Germans are...," "French people are...," and so on mainly because everyone is an individual or specifically an unique existence.

Now I am writing a book based on my travel experience.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I started my Couchsurfing journey because of a book. It's a travel writing piece named The Disappeared Year, depicting how a Taiwanese girl gave up the offer from one top art school in the UK, set out on a long trip around Europe via CS instead, and finally became a London-based fashion photographer, devoting herself to what she loves to do. Somehow I was inspired by the story, so I grew into a backpacker and a Couchsurfer.

My first CS experience was in Tokyo in 2014, and later on in Vietnam and India. I was hosted by a great amount of friendly people. They showed me what the essence of life is and how an ideal life should be. Because CS can always enrich my trips, and to methe spotlight on the road is always the people I encounter so I keep active on CS, trying to fit in with the authenticity and get closer to the locals when I am traveling.

Due to the limited rooms in my space, I've never hosted others but have been hosted several times. In order to present my appreciation, I began to meet up with the travelers in my city. Therefore, if you'd like to be accompanied with a local in Taipei, just don't hesitate.

Interests

I have a great liking for any forms of visual arts, especially for documentary photography. I'm not only a spectator but also a creator and a curator. I gain the inspiration from travel and always collect so-called "materials" on the journey. Perhaps originally they're considered as some fragments only; nonetheless, my task is to unify them all, producing the output from a photographic gaze. For example, In Taiwan I've held several art exhibitions which encompassed a backpacker's view, such as my travel experiences in India and Israel.

I also have a great passion for reading and creative writing both fictional and non-fictional. For instance, I've interviewed some international photographers and environmental artists, which made me win a citizen journalism award and made my news report nationally televised. Now I'm writing a book based on my backpacking experiences. It will be half fictional and half autobiographical.

On the other hand, I enjoy listening to the stories on the road from others. In other words, I like to read travel writing very much. Recently, I'm reading David Jimenez, Dervla Murphy, Gavin Bell, Graham Greene, Heather Wood, Isak Dinesen, Jenny Diski, John Steinbeck, Orhan Pamuk, V. S. Naipaul, and so on.

And after traveling in most of the East Asian countries, I began to be interested in reading the novels by those who come from the countries I've visited. Take India as an example, I start to read Arundhati Roy, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kiran Desai, Rohinton Mistry, and so on.

I love cooking as well. I even signed up for a cooking course and got a certificate in Thailand. I'm glad to share Taiwanese cuisines with you if possible.

• arts
• writing
• books
• literature
• photography
• documentaries
• cooking
• drinking
• news
• reading
• traveling
• backpacking
• journalism
• visual arts

Music, Movies, and Books

Countless... Here are just few examples.

Writers:
Haruki Murakami (Japanese)│Mina Loy (American)│Rohinton Mistry (Indin)│ Kenneth Hsien-Yung Pai (Taiwanese)

Singers:
Mika│Adam Green│Belle and Sebastian│Lady Gaga│Amy Winehouse│Cheer Chen (Taiwanese)│Spitz (Japanese)

Films:
Incendies (Canadian)│Happy Together (Chinese)│My Blueberry Nights (American)│Memories of Murder (Korean)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

# In Israel, I floated on the surface of Dead Sea with the newspaper I edited. The scene was just like the one on a postcard.

# In Indonesia, I reached the top of Mt. Bromo with only a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. However, it was only 4 degrees Celsius.

# In North Luzon, I did trekking in rice terraces for six hours, but I only brought an apple and two tangerines.

# In India, before the train arrived at the platform, I just jumped off the railway carriage.

# In Tokyo, I did binge drinking with some local strangers, inclusive of a prostitute and a pimp.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Palestine, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Taiwan