If you've ever wondered who's on the other side of this screen, let me properly introduce myself.
I'm Vivian.
- Computer Science graduate from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
- Ordained Taoist priest of the Maoshan Shangqing tradition, lineage name "Jia" (嘉)
- Sagittarius, INFJ
- Instagram: @Vivian_bingc
I founded Taoist Beats & Co. in 2025. But before that, I was just someone searching—like many of you—for an inner voice that felt true.
The Girl Who Trusted Logic
Growing up, I worked hard to rise in the world, guiding my life with logic and walking what seemed like the right, sensible path.
At university, I studied Computer Science at BUPT-one of only a handful of girls in my class.
After graduation, I dove into the tech industry, working at fast-paced internet companies in Beijing and Shanghai. On paper, my resume looked impressive. I was doing everything right.
But here's what no one tells you about success: it doesn't make you feel real. It doesn't make you feel happy.
I remember countless late nights, finishing another 12-hour workday, sitting in a taxi home, staring at the sea of city lights, feeling completely empty inside. I had done everything "right." So why did it feel so wrong?
If you're honest with yourself and listen to your inner voice, you'll eventually find your answer.
A detour I didn't see coming.
Through a series of small coincidences-a heartbroken trip after a painful breakup (coincidence? I now believe it was the universe's gentle nudge)-I found myself at Maoshan. A place I'd only read about in books, never imagining I'd actually go.
Maoshan is not like other mountains. The air there is fresh yet solemn, as if touched by some mysterious energy. Walking those ancient stone steps, wandering through the temples scattered across the mountain, something inside me that had been wound tight for years finally began to loosen.
During that visit, I met a Taoist master. Everything unfolded with such synchronicity-as if an invisible hand had guided me to that encounter. We talked for hours and felt like old friends. We spoke of energy, intention, the invisible threads connecting all things. For the first time in years, I felt like I'd found a soul family.
The Path Unfolds
That conversation planted a seed. I started reading. Then studying. Then, whenever work allowed, returning to Maoshan again and again.
My tech colleagues thought it was just a phase. "Vivian's finding herself," they'd joke. Maybe they were right.
Eventually, I became an ordained Taoist priest in the Maoshan Shangqing tradition, receiving the lineage name "Jia" (嘉)-a character that means "excellent" or "praiseworthy." But for me, it came to represent something deeper: a reminder that the most excellent life isn't the one that looks most impressive from the outside, but the one that follows your inner truth and becomes the life you truly want to live.
The In-Between Years
People sometimes ask if the transition was dramatic. Did I burn my bridges? Have a dramatic "I quit!" moment?
For a long time, I lived between two worlds. Weekdays, writing code in Shanghai. Weekends, studying Taoism. Sometimes I'd take the last train Friday night, arrive at the temple after midnight, and return Sunday evening-just in time to sleep a few hours before Monday morning meetings.
That season taught me something invaluable: you can hold two lives at once. You can embrace two seemingly opposite things. Logic and mystery. Technology and tradition. Just as Taoism teaches through yin and yang-yin within yang, yang within yin-nothing is absolute. Things that appear different often lead to the same place. And at the source of it all? Love.
Why This Store Exists
Taoist Beats & Co. was born from that in-between space.
I created it for people like me-people who live in the modern world but feel drawn to something ancient. People who sense there's more beneath the surface, worlds unseen waiting to be discovered. People who want blessings they can hold, symbols they can carry, reminders that they're not alone on this journey.
A Few Things About Me You Won't Find on the "About Us" Page
- I'm terrible at gardening. I've killed three plants this year. Taoism teaches harmony with nature; nature and I are still negotiating.
- I love practicing at sunrise and before sleep-when the world is quiet and I can return to myself.
- The first time a customer sent me a photo of their talisman, worn and loved, carried through a difficult year-I cried.
- I still don't have all the answers. But I'm always on the path.
- When I'm not working, you'll find me with a cup of tieguanyin tea, a notebook full of half-finished thoughts, and usually a cat curled up nearby.
A Small Shop with Big Gratitude
Running this shop is still new to me. Every day brings something I don't know, someone I haven't met, a question I haven't answered yet.
But here's what I do know: I'm grateful. For every order, every message, every person who takes a moment to read these words. You're not just customers-you're fellow travelers. And it's an honor to walk this path alongside you.
With warmth and blessings,
Vivian
Founder, Taoist Beats & Co.
P.S. - If you ever have questions, or just want to say hello, reply to any email or find me on [@Vivian_bingc]. I read every message myself.
Thank you for everything. Thank you for crossing paths with me.
