In 1981, he went from Taiwan to California with only US $ 100, for the purpose of researching fossils. While he worked, he saved, commencing his lifestyle of "running a restaurant to make money to toy with fossils."
一九八一年他帶著僅有的一百美金，以研究化石的理由，從台灣到了美國加州，邊工作邊存錢，開始他「開餐廳賺錢玩石頭」的生活。