Out Of Office: Ding Chiern Yin, Founder Of Girl In Love Tea
Out Of Office is a series following Singaporeans who’ve logged off the standard career script to chase their own versions of success—consider this a study of work, ambition, and life beyond the default settings. This week: Ding Chiern Yin, the founder of Chinese tea brand Girl In Love, who uprooted her and her husband’s life to the tranquil mountains in Wuyishan after dropping her full-time career to pursue a slower, more intentional life.
WHO: Ding Chiern Yin, 25 years old, founder of tea brand Girl In Love.
You might recognise her through her social media presence as she embodies the ‘slow living’ movement that emphasises living life with intention, and finding beauty in the everyday.
WHAT SHE DOES: Girl In Love is a fresh brew, so to speak, having just officially launched in January 2026. To realise her dream, she and her husband (who goes by Feng), relocated to his hometown in China: the mountainous and tranquil Wuyishan, a small city located in the Fujian province. Population: 247,000.
From the mountains of Wuyishan, Girl In Love brings fresh Chinese tea to the world, available for purchase internationally on their website.
WHY KNOW HER: In the age of corporate burnout, it’s no wonder that Gen Zs and young adults are starting to turn towards slow living and going analogue. One such Gen Z-er is Ding, who moved all the way from Singapore to Wuyishang to embrace a softer and slower lifestyle — something that has definitely resonated with others.
As Ding began to document her slow living lifestyle with her husband, her social media began to blow up, amassing almost half a million likes on TikTok and millions of views on Instagram. The true manifestation of her lifestyle philosophy, though, is her tea brand: Girl In Love.
Its ethos is simple: it’s about putting on those rose-tinted lenses for the mundane. Where the rest of the world is obsessed with numbers, efficiency, and acceleration, Girl In Love wants you to stop and smell the roses. For those who have grown jaded in the fast-paced digital age, this is a refreshing alternative that might bring some comfort.
Ding with her husband, Feng, who sometimes appears in her soothing videos. From her slow living lifestyle, to her tea brand, he’s been her main source of inspiration, her ‘muse,’ as she explains. “When I first met him in art school, he wasn’t into social media,” she shares. “He’s always very present when we’re out and that’s how we started capturing our simple moments, and I realised how important it is to truly be in the moment to feel each other’s love.”
Hi Chiern Yin! First thing’s first: how did you fall in love with tea?
Chiern Yin (CY): “My husband and I have always been tea drinkers. Even when we first started dating, we would always have tea with us. It was just part of our rhythm. At that time, it meant nothing beyond comfort and habit.
Everything shifted when I visited his hometown, Wuyishan, slightly over a year ago. Being surrounded by the mountains, the plantations, and the generational craftsmanship made me fall in love with tea in a deeper way. I realised that if my husband drinks tea every single day, I want him to drink something clean, honest, and uncompromising in quality.”
What drew you to starting a tea business?
CY: “It happened organically. After my first trip to Wuyishan, I kept returning. I spent time with local farmers, followed them through the tea-making process, and learned step-by-step what makes a good tea bud.
My husband’s favourite tea has always been Jin Jun Mei, so that’s where we began — tasting, refining, and working closely with local farmers to develop something we truly loved. It was never about starting a business for the sake of it. It was about bringing the best to my husband and sharing that ritual with our small community — people who resonate with our way of living.
Because we have family roots there, it allowed us to build genuine relationships. We tasted countless batches before settling on one that felt right. We’re still small — there is no big team. It’s just me, and my husband occasionally helps with the technical side. It’s very hands-on, and very personal.”
Before moving to Wuyishan and starting Girl In Love, Ding was a full-time creative producer. Like many young people, the corporate life was draining, and stepping away was what she needed to find herself again.
Your brand’s name, Girl In Love, is pretty unique for a tea brand. What’s the story behind it?
CY: “It has always been my persona. To me, love is the most powerful thing in the world — not just romantic love, but love for life, for tiny moments, for yourself.
Social media often portrays love as materialistic or dramatic. I wanted to show something softer — that a girl can spoil her partner, express affection openly, and not feel embarrassed about love.
Love isn’t cringey. It’s strength. You don’t even need a physical person to practise love. It can be love for your work, your rituals, your growth. When you put down ego and truly feel, that is love. Girl In Love is about choosing love, every day.”
You’ve also shared that your brand’s ethos is rooted in “slow living, love, and intention in everyday moments”. Tell us more about what this means to you.
CY: “When you slow down and live with intention, beauty reveals itself in the smallest things. Life is repetitive: we wake up, we work, we rest, we repeat. Like the myth of Sisyphus, we are all pushing our stone daily. But when you treasure the little moments within that repetition, inspiration flows naturally. That’s the philosophy we live by. We don’t need grand gestures, we just need presence.”
Ding and Feng, embracing their new life in the tea fields of Wuyishan.
Having grown up in Singapore which prioritises efficiency and pragmatism, what inspired you to choose your current path?
CY: “My husband. Before this, I was working a 9–5 job and felt disconnected from myself. We barely had time together. He was the one who encouraged me to slow down — even if it meant doing nothing — just to find my spark again.
With more time and flexibility, I started casually filming our simple moments. Eating, walking, small dates around the city. I wanted to show that love can be healthy, calm, and mutual. That a girl can express love openly. That love isn’t transactional or materialistic — it’s intentional. That’s how Girl In Love grew. It was never a strategy, it was our diary.”
What kind of person would resonate with Girl In Love and its ethos?
CY: “Our demographic isn’t defined by age or income. It’s for people who value love, presence, and intentional living. Couples, soft-hearted girls, people who romanticise the everyday. I see Girl In Love expanding beyond tea into a lifestyle built from love and passion.”
Describe your style and aesthetic in 3 words.
CY: “Soft. Intentional. Intimate.”
As Girl In Love’s founder, how involved are you in the process of producing your tea?
CY: “Very. I work closely with farmers to understand the harvest, the processing, and what makes a high-quality bud. I taste every batch and am part of the development process from start to finish. We are still small. There’s no large team, it’s very personal because I want to be able to directly speak to my community from sourcing to storytelling.”
From plant to brew, Ding oversees most of the production process for Girl In Love’s tea.
Your blog states that your tea leaves come from “the rocky Wuyi mountain region in Fujian, China” — to someone who’s unfamiliar with tea, what makes tea from this region so special?
CY: “Tea from Wuyishan is special because of its unique rocky terrain and mineral-rich soil. The cliffs create natural drainage and stress for the tea plants, which deepens the flavour and gives it complexity and fragrance.
The region is especially famous for its refined black teas like Jin Jun Mei, known for its natural sweetness, floral aroma, and smooth finish. But beyond flavour, what makes it special is heritage. Generations of craftsmanship live in those mountains.”
The tea leaves.
Why did you decide to uproot your life to China, and how has the new environment helped your business?
CY: “It’s my husband’s hometown. He grew up here before moving and travelling frequently when he was younger. Because of that, his idea of “home” has always been layered — it isn’t tied to just one country.
Living closer to our tea’s origin has made the brand feel more grounded and honest. It reminds us that what we are building isn’t about expansion — it’s about depth.”
There’s been an uptick of young people opting for ‘slow living’ or the ‘soft life’ — something that you and your brand embody very well. What do you think is the reason behind it?
CY: “I think our generation is beginning to realise that the “dream life” isn’t something you postpone until retirement, it’s something you practice now. Slow living isn’t about doing less, it’s about being intentional. It’s a lifestyle and a way of behaving that has to be cultivated daily.
Growing up, many of us heard from our parents, “When I retire, I’ll finally…” But by then, the spark, the energy, the health — they may not be the same. When we’re young, we have the flexibility of mind and body. We have the courage to adapt, to experiment, to build something aligned with who we truly are.
I think that’s why more young people are choosing slower, more conscious lifestyles. They want to design a life that feels good now, not decades later. And from that lifestyle, they slowly discover the best way for them to make a living.
If you’re unsure where to start, sometimes it helps to imitate the lifestyle of someone you admire. Through that process, you begin shaping your own rhythm, your own values, and eventually. your own version of a dream life.”
What do you wish you’d known before doing what you’re doing now?
CY: “I wish I had started earlier. But at the same time, I believe that life places us exactly where we need to be. I started when I was ready.”
What’s one part of your story that people don’t see, but is crucial?
CY: “The healthy communication behind the scenes. Love is not automatic, it’s practised. We are always a team. We talk through everything. Especially in what we do, where life and “work” blend, communication keeps us grounded.
How do you stay motivated when things feel slow, uncertain, or uninspiring?
CY: “It’s normal to feel uninspired sometimes. That’s part of being human. When that happens, it’s my brain telling me to rest, and I rest. I go on long walks with my husband. We talk things through. Movement clears the mind, and inspiration returns naturally. Not every slow moment is a bad moment — sometimes it’s a necessary pause.
What’s your definition of success?
CY: “Success to me is being able to spend time with my loved ones freely and live a small, meaningful love story without regret. Social media and business may come and go. But the real moments we create together — that is what stays.”
What advice would you give to someone who feels drawn to a similar path but is hesitant to start?
CY: “Start now. You only live once. Explore, be curious, be consistent. Passion becomes clearer through action, not overthinking.”