Lin Jhihyuan delivers a speech at a forum on building a common home for cross-Straits compatriots held in Pingtan. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

Five people from Taiwan have been honored as model workers of East China's Fujian province in late April.

Lin Jhi-hyuan, a Taiwan native and vice general manager of Pingtan Free Trade Zone Cross-Straits Development Co, was one of the five that attended the awarding ceremony on April 27 in Fuzhou, the capital city.

First setting foot on Fujian's Pingtan Island in 2015, Lin put his entrepreneurial spirit to work by opening a small shop selling cultural and creative products from Taiwan.

Pingtan is part of the China (Fujian) Free Trade Pilot Zone and is the Chinese mainland's closest neighbor of Taiwan.

"My initial goal was quite simple," Lin said. "That was, selling Taiwan's cultural and creative products to the mainland through Pingtan."

His shop quickly became a success, and the 29-year-old entrepreneur set about expanding his business empire further. Looking for opportunities to grow, Lin stumbled upon the Beigang village and recalls being inspired by its rustic character.

Beigang is renowned for its characteristic stone-built houses used by local fisherman. Lin had the idea of creating similar accommodation in the village and marketing them as unique homestays for visitors.

With the help of a team of locals, Lin quickly converted eight stone houses into homestays. Not satisfied with the abodes on their own, Lin set about creating a community around the homestays to provide visitors with an even more special experience. The community, named "Singing Stones", revolves around the use of the rocks to create music.

"The art community is so called because beautiful melodies are created by hitting the igneous rocks collected from the mountain near Beigang," Lin said. "We hoped to develop an art community integrating homestays, culture, music and cuisine by infusing inspired design and creativity."

Lin's efforts quickly paid off and tourism in Beigang village began to boom. Today, the once sleepy fishing village is a hotspot for tourists and a haven for creative types including artists and musicians.