SINGAPORE – In the early 1990s, Herald Van der Linde wanted to earn some money to fund his university studies in the Netherlands. He also wanted to broaden his horizons and travel.

The Dutchman decided to take on several jobs, including working as a tour guide in China and Indonesia.

He recalled: “My first trip to China was particularly eventful: I was robbed of US$100 in Shenzhen and later found myself on a plane that made an emergency landing in a padi field near Guilin.”

But he continued his journey, and the experience changed his life, he said.

“From that point onwards, I knew that I wanted to stay in Asia and live and work there.”

After getting his master’s degree in economics, Van der Linde bought a one-way ticket to…