Wu Chia-ying, president of the Taiwan Businessmen Association in Xiamen, Fujian province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Nowadays, Wu often visits hospitals in Taiwan and Xiamen to share his success with other patients. He said what he learned is mainly related to enterprise operations and management. Some entrepreneurs in the associations consult him when they encounter problems.

"Thanks to reform and opening-up, the first generation of Taiwan businessmen who came to the mainland with capital and technology mostly earned a lot. However, after two or three decades of development, their enterprises are facing the challenge of transformation and upgrading," Wu said.

"How to transform? It's not easy. I often take the practical problems we encounter as subjects and conduct targeted research and find solutions."

For example, how can costs be reduce? What processes can be automated? How does the business fit in the world market? How are assets allocated for generational transmission?

To Wu's delight, his research results and suggestions have been adopted by many of his fellow businessmen in Taiwan. He has helped their enterprises perform better.