Chin-Yu Lee radiates a profound, compelling depth and a versatility that allows her to both make hilariously sharp jokes and treat EU international programs as a Climate Policy Advisor for almost a decade in the remarkable city of Trondheim, Norway. A young woman from Taiwan who travelled solo as a backpacker, improbable in the ’90s, she challenged, preserved, and reinterpreted traditions and discoveries. This undoubtedly led her to take the FTHub Summer School training in Barcelona, the 8-day training that ended on her birthday, and she found it deeply meaningful.
Experiences took her to explore the spirituality inherent in nature and to develop a « mental immunity« , a superpower (especially thanks to the experience of pilgrimage) that drives her through challenging times. Ultimately, her path allowed her to rethink her work in climate policy, suggesting that lifestyle change and connection with nature should be the main goal, for emissions reductions as a co-benefit, and not the other way around.
Her personal and professional journey that took her from Taiwan to Norway, her initial disconnection from nature during her childhood, and how her connection with nature slowly transformed in her adult life through travel and pilgrimage.
Chin-Yu Lee has created a film about her pilgrimage experience and authored a book in Mandarin about Nordic lifestyles. Her other book, titled The Nordic St. Olav Ways – the Pilgrimage from Sweden to Norway: A 6600-KilometreJourney Home, offers a personal account of her journey along the St. Olav Path, which led many Taiwanese down to it.
“I’ve been the climate advisor in the municipality of Trondheim since 2016. I have more than a decade of experience working with climate policy, both at the regional and local levels. I work with EU-related programs. In my work, I also deal with methodology. I see that there are many methods and theories on how to accelerate the green transition, and it requires going deeper into societal challenges. One approach that has been suggested is to first focus on actions that provide direct emission reductions, like reducing CO₂ emissions. Increasingly, people are talking about addressing the so-called co-benefits: actions such as biking instead of driving should not only reduce emissions but also provide positive benefits for society”.
“Recently, after working with this policy for a long time, I started asking why we are not moving fast enough and why people are still reluctant or resistant to change. I think we should consider a shift in perspective: co-benefits and lifestyle changes should be the main focus, while CO₂ emission reduction becomes the co-benefit. When approached this way, meaningful change can happen naturally, without constant external pressure”.
“Unfortunately, the changes we are proposing in policy are still only incremental. We are trying to address problems gradually, but real transformation starts at a fundamental level—starting with individual behaviours, such as eating healthy and taking care of one’s own body”.
“And that’s why I think these systemic models that we were being introduced to in the FTHub training could be a good method to introduce more and more into human society. Because if you take care of yourself, ultimately you would take care of the important things around you”.
Early Life and Childhood in Taiwan
“I moved to Norway 22 years ago. Before that, I was in Taiwan, though I went to Sweden to study for a master’s degree. I grew up in an old Japanese wooden house with gardens in front of and behind the house, actually, much more nature than the average house in Taiwan. But I was disconnected. I was neither interested nor encouraged to engage with nature because my parents were religious and busy with their spiritual practices. We were brought up with a mixture of Taoism and Buddhism, which involved worship, meditation, recitation, and listening to religious talks”.
“As an Asian student, I spent a lot of time at home studying. I was not sporty, not comfortable with nature, and insects seemed like monsters to me. My parents took care of the garden, but I rarely helped. During primary and junior high school, I was mostly at home studying. Later, I went to Taipei for senior high school, which expanded my horizons outside the house. I started learning English and exploring the city, but nature only entered my life quite late”.
The best friend of oneself
“I went to university in Taipei, one of the best schools in Taiwan, and studied Engineering. I chose the subject because I felt capable, interested, and probably good at it. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I decided not to pursue further studies, which was uncommon among my classmates. I wanted to explore the world, so I started working, though my first jobs were not ideal”.
Travelled as a backpacker during and after universiTravellingling alone was unusual for Asian women in the 1990s, but it felt natural to me. I wanted to be the best friend to myself, and those experiences connected me to who I was. I also studied Environmental subjects in southern Sweden, which introduced me to nature through outdoor camps, sleeping outside, and hands-on environmental experiences. Though the program focused on management and policy rather than natural science, it was my first meaningful connection with nature”.
“And I remember that once we were in a forest, there was a nature professor who was telling us something about either the mushrooms or nature. She just found a place in the woods and sat down, not thinking that it was dirty or that she needed a pad or anything”.
“She just sat down as if she were at home. I remember that moment so well. I thought, how could she do that in the first place? And second, it looked so comfortable, how could that happen?
“That sitting position stayed in my mind: just in the middle of the forest, wanting to tell us something, sitting down without looking at anything. I, who was not used to nature, thought it was dirty, muddy, and messy, but she just sat down. That was a good invitation for me”.
Life in Norway and Connection to Nature
“After moving to Norway, nature became part of my life. Two to three years after moving, I wrote a book about the Scandinavian lifestyle, covering food, clothing, transportation, housing, education, and recreation, which helped me reflect on the importance of nature in everyday life”.
“I also discovered pilgrimage traditions. My younger sister had completed the Shikoku Henro in Japan, a Buddhist pilgrimage, and I joined her for 10 days on one of her subsequent trips. Later, I explored pilgrimage routes in Scandinavia, starting with St. Olav’s Way near Trondheim, walking 600 kilometres alone. This became one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, connecting me deeply to nature and strengthening my mental resilience, especially before COVID-19. Two years later, I walked another route from Oslo to Trondheim with a Canadian friend, which was a different but equally enriching experience”.
« Mental Immunity » and Life Philosophy
“At 50, I view this phase as a new chapter. Celebrations, like birthdays, provide perspective: acknowledging what I have, seeking what’s missing, and appreciating the connection between humans and nature. Nature provides a unique frequency that brings one closer to oneself, fostering inner stability amidst external uncertainties. Living in Trondheim, a historic pilgrimage destination, has allowed me to explore these spiritual and natural connections deeply, while my professional and personal experiences continue to shape this journey”.
« When COVID started, because of my pilgrimage experience, my mental immunity was increased without me knowing that in advance. I was pretty sure that there is a mental immunity that you could build up, even when you don’t have to wait until a difficult time. Preferably, you do that before, because it will put you in a totally different status. It will make you more capable of handling issues in your life. »
« When you have that power or ability or whatever, then you can manoeuvre in this world in a totally different position. I think that I was really happy with that. In my COVID period, there was a regulation of this and that. So I just go with the flow and try to cope with it and try to observe it without being too influenced or negatively impacted by that. »
Ph: Courtesy Chin-Yu Lee and FTHub.
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