Chen Weiyang started an electronic waste recycling business in 2001, shortly after he graduated from a technical institute in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.

Instead of looking for a job in the provincial capital, Chen returned to his hometown of Guiyu, in Shantou, an eastern coastal city about 450 kilometers from Guangzhou.

"At the time, almost all the local people, including my family members, were engaged in e-waste recycling. It was a pillar industry in the city," he said.