At the age of fourteen he was hired to assist in the Photography Department of the Taiwan News, the only newspaper in Taichung at that time.
當他在小學四年級時，舉家遷至台中市，開設一家「興台雜貨店」營生，但他和幾個兄弟仍要在課餘時沿街叫賣冰棒、零食以貼補家用。