Trying to land a job was tough for Li Chenchen, 25, who graduated from National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan this year.

Li and other six schoolmates were among the first batch of students from the Chinese mainland to complete their degree in Taiwan. According to local policy, they can not be employed in Taiwan after graduation.

"I am sort of lucky compared to my classmates, because I started job hunting very early this year," says Li. "The job situation is pretty awkward because we can not stay in Taiwan, but on the other hand employers on the mainland do not give us much recognition."