As chairman of SunYoung International Architecture Group, Cong Lin Lin has great ambitions for his company: it has been reported that in the five years prior to the pandemic, SunYoung sales have reached 120 billion yuan. In 2020, the company’s annual growth rate was at 56 per cent. Lin has remained optimistic even through the pandemic, citing the increased importance for housing and the fact that people will more likely spend their money domestically.

Hailing from Kaohsiung, Lin studied at the Pingtung Agricultural College; his family has been in agriculture for three generations. However, he was drawn to the business world, and found his way into real estate, starting his company in 2008—which was around the time of the global mortgage crisis. Where others might have only seen risk, Lin saw opportunity, betting big on the market. Now, over a decade later, Lin’s goal is to lead SunYoung to be among the top real estate companies in Taiwan.