China's policymakers released a new guideline to further support and speed up rural revitalization while maintaining environmental protection measures.

The document, issued by the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and other departments, draws from the experiences of Zhejiang Province in improving the ecological environment and rural livelihoods. 

Zhejiang's bold mission to create a thousand exemplary villages that boast scenery, agricultural modernization and higher rural income was undertaken two decades ago. In achieving these goals, this project has benefited millions of rural residents across the province. In 2022, the rural population made up more than a quarter of the province's 65.8 million population.

According to provincial statistics, in 2022, per capita disposable income of rural households in Zhejiang increased to 37,565 yuan ($5,156) from 5,431 yuan in 2003, almost doubling every five years on average. In the past three years, Zhejiang has ranked first among China's provinces and autonomous regions in terms of per capita disposable income of rural households, as reported by China Reform Daily.

The newly released guideline advises local governments across China to learn from the experiences of exemplary villages in Zhejiang in making concrete progress toward improving the environment, developing local industries based on regional advantages, and pursuing low-carbon development and enrichment of rural culture. This latest move also represents China's commitment to high-quality development in achieving modernization.