Early on, Chu was breeding roses and chrysanthemums. In 1996, a student that was researching the juvenile period of poinsettias was continually unable to acquire seeds, so Chu ended up helping him grow seeds. As a consequence, Chu became the first person in Taiwan involved in the breeding of poinsettias.
早年主攻玫瑰和菊花育種的朱建鏞，1996 年時，因做聖誕紅「幼年性」研究的學生一直收不到種子，他只好幫忙採種，卻也因此成為台灣從事聖誕紅育種的第一人。