by Xinhua writer Yu Xiaohua
BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- For decades, tales of China have often been stories of rural people moving to cities in pursuit of success.
Yet Shao Yuwen is part of a rising wave rewriting that narrative. Instead of settling down in a big city after graduation from college, she chose to return to her rural hometown and build her career in Yonglian, a village situated along the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province.
"My village crackles with grit and entrepreneurship," the 25-year-old said. "It's where I know I can bring out the best in me."
Initially hired as a management trainee of human resources at a company in her home village of Yonglian, Shao later worked at the logistics center of a local grocery and delivery business -- a perfect match for her college education.
The wealth of opportunities available for young people like Shao in Yonglian owes much to the local economic development, largely driven by a homegrown steel giant, Jiangsu Yonggang Group.
This development has resulted in a striking picture: idyllic farmlands, streams and arch bridges sit alongside modern factories, gyms and theaters.
The industrialization-driven development in Yonglian caught the attention of President Xi Jinping in March 2024, when he joined Jiangsu deputies to the National People's Congress in deliberation during that year's legislative session.
Wu Huifang, Yonglian's Party chief, was discussing with his fellow deputies the village's development path. Xi listened with keen interest and hailed the village for blazing a new path of rural revitalization that leads to common prosperity.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, is deeply concerned about China's vast rural areas.
In a country with nearly 500 million rural residents, modernization that overlooks the countryside is like a house built on quicksand. Between 2012 and 2020, Xi led a nationwide campaign to eradicate absolute poverty, helping lift nearly 100 million rural residents out of poverty.
Back in 2017, China, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core, embarked on a journey of rural revitalization, to further narrow the rural-urban gap and bring common prosperity to rural residents like Shao.
Rural revitalization on such a massive scale is unprecedented, and the key to such efforts is to leverage local resources to develop industries that will eventually benefit rural residents.
Take Yonglian as an example. Situated in the Yangtze River Delta, a key manufacturing hub, the village has capitalized on its strategic location to drive industrial success.
Over the years, Jiangsu Yonggang Group in the village has grown from a modest steel factory in the 1980s into a multifaceted modern enterprise, with operations spanning not just steel but also carbon fiber and new energy.
Nationwide, modern agriculture, e-commerce and tourism are also playing crucial roles in transforming the rural landscape.
At a central rural work conference in December, Xi underscored the need to actively develop rural industries for the benefits of villagers, raise overall agricultural returns, strengthen county economies, and expand channels for farmers to increase their incomes.
The country's second centenary goal is to transform China into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of the century.
Agriculture, rural areas and rural residents are seen as part of the foundations of that goal. "We've got to lift hundreds of millions of farmers onto the path of common prosperity," Xi has stressed.
In the village of Yonglian, where local residents are engaged in a variety of professions like modern farming, food processing and advertising, the per capita net income for the villagers topped 75,000 yuan (around 10,400 U.S. dollars) in 2024, much higher than the per capita disposable income of rural residents across the country, which stood at 23,119 yuan.
Shao, who is the first college graduate in her family, earns a salary rivaling her peers in big cities like Suzhou. Aside from her work, Shao also makes time for leisure -- watching movies, visiting art exhibitions, or practicing yoga at the village's cultural and sports center.
"We've got all the urban conveniences," Shao said. "Meanwhile, we also enjoy an idyllic charm the concrete jungle can't touch."
With the annual legislative session set to open next week, the people of Yonglian, like millions across the country, are once again turning their attention to Beijing, where lawmakers will review the government work report and discuss national development plans.
Lawmakers will also bring their proposals and suggestions to the session.
Wu, Yonglian's Party chief, said he plans to push for better standards for barrier-free infrastructure to ensure that everyone, including people living in rural areas, can benefit from economic and social progress.
"I'm confident that life in the countryside will grow more vibrant and prosperous, blending the best of nature with the comforts of modern living," he said. ■
