His research into the Taiwanese language springs entirely from his own sense of mission. Tu exclaims, "Many people say that what I am doing is what our country and our government should be doing!" As far as Tu is concerned, now that he has found a place to settle down, his life and his work can truly begin.
「我要用一輩子的時間來研究，」沒有頭銜、學位、也無法申請任何研究贊助的杜建坊，研究台灣語言完全基於興趣和使命，他說：「很多人說我做的是國家、政府應該做的事！」