Editor's note: Dr. John Gong is a professor at the University of International Business and Economics and a research fellow at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE). The article reflects the author's views, and not necessarily those of CGTN.

It is no exaggeration to say that Chinese President Xi Jinping's southern tour is important to the next stage of economic development in rural areas of China.

Xi has made several speeches about rural vitalization in recent years. A few days ago, during his visit to a vineyard in Maozhushan Village in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Chinese president put forth the concept of "development of modern rural industries with various unique characteristics benefiting farmers."

China's former leader Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening-up policy has undoubtedly industrialized the urban areas in China, lifting hundreds of millions of city dwellers to the middle class. But his teaching of "getting rich together" still lingers against the backdrop of hundreds of millions more people living in the countryside still waiting for a better life.

Let's be honest that there is still a gap between urban-rural livelihoods today. That is what President Xi's poverty alleviation drive is all about, and this nation has achieved a milestone by having eliminated absolute poverty by the end of 2020.

Now we are moving to the next stage in this battle, which we call "rural vitalization." There is actually a vice-ministerial level central government organization established recently under the similar idea – the National Bureau of Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

President Xi's vision of rural vitalization may be summarized from three perspectives based on my understanding. Rural vitalization, first and foremost, is about economic development, or perhaps one step further, about industrial development in rural areas based on unique local characteristics and conditions.

The grape industry he prized about in Maozhushan Village is a case in point. This small village made a reasonable fortune out of growing grapes in an industrialized fashion in recent years. Furthermore, this type of industrial rural development model has to be inclusive in nature in that it benefits mostly local farmers. That is what he means by "development of modern rural industries with various unique characteristics benefiting farmers."

Second, President Xi is big on ecological development and the preservation of the environment, for which he famously said, "green mountains and clear water are mountains of gold and silver." During his Guangxi tour, he praised the local leadership for cultivating an ecological village environment in Maozhushan.

Later on, Xi examined the Lijiang River's governance body that has spent a great deal of resources to improve the river's surrounding environment. The river often serves as one of the must-go places for foreign tourists.

The last but certainly not the least, rural vitalization perspective concerns the cultural aspect in rural areas. Vitalization is not just about material gains but also social and cultural improvement.

In many parts of China's countryside, there are still signs of backwardness in social customs and habits that would make us embarrassed. This is also one area that the government can play a role in terms of leading and financing some projects to enrich rural farmers' lives.

In short, the next economic development battleground appears to include a large part of China's countryside. Most of us living in the city in China probably have never thought about a life far away from the city. But the other side of China also needs an infrastructure and a quality of life that are comparable to ours.

This is not just about lifting the rural population to the middle class under Deng Xiaoping's vision, but probably in a selfish way also about finding a second home in the countryside for us too. Isn't life beautiful if you have a hide-away place far away to spend some quality time with your family over the weekend?

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)