In 1980, when Cloud Gate Dance Theatre went on its first tour of Europe, the dancer Chen Wei-cheng introduced her to Lin Hwai-min. "My greatest stroke of fortune in this life was to meet Lin Hwai-min," Lin Ching-ju says. "He brought me into the world of art, and also encouraged me to cultivate a perfectionist's attitude about my work."
1980 年「雲門舞集」首次歐洲巡演，舞者陳偉誠把她介紹給林懷民，「這輩子最幸運的就是認識林懷民，他帶我進入藝術世界，也激勵我養成認真求好的工作態度。」