“Over the past 25 years, I’ve been traveling around the world.”
Standing in front of a photo wall,
Alex Soh shares his journey.
He wears many hats:
Singaporean Chinese, international photographer,
graphic designer, Nikon brand ambassador,
coffee bean hunter, and founder of Tianlu Coffee.
With ancestral roots in Fujian, his first look at Xiamen
instantly brought back memories of Singapore, surrounded by the sea.
So in 2018, he chose to start in Xiamen
and open the “Tianlu” Specialty Coffee Labo & Roastery.
Welcome to the 4th episode of Foreigners But Not Outsiders in Huli.
Let's see how a Singaporean Chinese photographer
pours the world's wonders
into a single cup of coffee in Huli.
Daily life at Tianlu Coffee
starts with a fresh pour-over.
For Alex, coffee is far more than just a drink.
“Every sip holds
one whole year of the farmers' efforts.”
As a bean hunter,
Alex has gone deep into Ethiopia’s coffee-growing regions,
squatting right by the coffee trees.
He’s personally touched branches laden with beans,
and he’s even stepped into the farmers’ homes
— watching them dry the beans over wood fires.
Behind every bean is real life, with real stories.
Instead of focusing only on flavor,
he cares more about building a connection with people.
Listening carefully, responding with sincerity.
Maybe it’s just a cup of coffee
that gets strangers talking,
and somehow makes the day great.
Photography is about seeing the world.
Coffee is about connecting hearts.
This connection
reaches distant lands, too.
Years ago,
while tracing bean origins in Ethiopia,
he saw
families living off the grid.
Kids couldn’t read at night
or imagine a bigger world.
That inspired Tianlu
to launch the long-term “Light Up” Project.
“When we start to help people, we become better people. Without light, there is no hope, because light is hope.”
Back in Huli,
he captures everyday moments through his lens.
Wandering through Jiangtou Agricultural Products Market,
he takes it all in:
vendors’ busy hands,
vibrant vegetables,
and neighbors picking out fresh produce.
All of it finds a place in his frame.
“Photography is about storytelling,
and it's about two people.”
The further he goes, the more he realizes:
the best views aren’t always far away.
In Huli, he can feel
a lasting spirit of simplicity and genuine warmth (Chunpu in Chinese).
The smiles on people’s faces.
Every little bit of everyday life.
“When I came to Huli, it made me feel welcome.”
From traveling the world to putting down roots in Huli;
from clicking the shutter to brewing coffee;
from a designer's precision to a bean hunter's curiosity,
and on to a humanitarian’s devotion.
Huli’s rich cultural charm and everyday human warmth
smooth out his road fatigue,
and given his backpack a place to stay.
The world may be vast, but Huli feels close to home.
And his story
is still slowly drifting through the aroma of coffee.
