Young Chinese find fulfillment in the countryside

Despite an annual pay of $70,000, Tang Xinchen quit his job at an internet company in Beijing in 2022 and returned to his hometown in the countryside of southwest China's Sichuan Province in his search for self-fulfillment.

"In recent years, there have been more and more opportunities in the countryside, constantly tempting me, and I can't resist it," Tang said.

The internet industry is competitive and businesses in urban centers have developed to such an extent that the value of individual creation is limited, according to 28-year-old Tang. "Agriculture in rural areas has plenty of space where we can have much to do, so I decided to go back," he added.

Initially, Tang wanted his start-up to focus on supplying quality fruits from his village, which is famous for its kiwi and citrus. But he found that the fruits varied in quality, which in turn made it hard for him to choose and sell quality produce.

Tang subsequently leased an orchard and began to grow his own kiwi and citrus. "It was really difficult for me to grow the fruits because I had no idea about pesticides and fertilizers," said Tang, adding that he also faced resistance from his family who couldn't understand his decision to quit his job in the big city and return to the village to become a farmer.

"I also feel a bit short on money nowadays, as I have invested nearly 1 million yuan (around $138,000)," Tang said.

Despite the difficulties, Tang said, "I just want my village to plant the fruits well and produce standardized and quality fruits. I want my start-up to be the Chinese Zespri."

Tang is not alone, as many young people have chosen to move to the countryside in recent years. The shift has become a new trend on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu and WeChat, where urbanites are drawn to content about everyday life in rural areas.

According to a report published in April by the Research Center for Rural Economy (RCRE) of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, there were over 40,000 users producing content related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Among them, the biggest group (21 percent) was made up of white-collar workers who returned from cities to start new businesses. Migrant workers and undergraduates accounted for 17 percent and 13 percent, respectively. In terms of age, 54 percent of these content creators are between 31 and 40.

Many young Chinese head back to the countryside in pursuit of inheriting traditional culture or seeking growth opportunities in less developed counties. Others choose to accompany their aging parents and develop family businesses.

Wang Jianhong chose to be an architect in rural areas after graduation. He recalled how sad he felt seeing dilapidated traditional-style buildings in his hometown in Shangrao City, east China's Jiangxi Province, every time he returned during college breaks.

Over the past eight years, Wang and his team have renovated at least 100 old buildings and turned some of them into new travel attractions.

"I have helped at least 100 villagers and each household increase its annual income by more than 100,000 yuan," Wang said, adding that he felt rural areas are no longer poor and backward. Instead, more urbanites choose to spend holidays in the countryside.

Wang hoped his renovation and design of local buildings could help more villagers enjoy a better life.

In southwest China's Chengdu City, Xiang Tiantian, 32, returned to her hometown after quitting her job at a travel agency.

Xiang said the biggest reason behind her decision was to accompany her aging parents and help with farm work.

As for Xiang, she felt a sense of accomplishment when they had a big soybean harvest and local villages earned money after working on her family's farm.

The trend of young people choosing to pursue their career and life in rural areas coincides with China consolidating its poverty alleviation achievements and initiating the rural revitalization drive after lifting the last 98.99 million impoverished rural residents out of poverty in 2020.

In February, China unveiled its "No. 1 central document" for 2024, outlining the priorities for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization this year. The document singled out the importance of attracting and training talents for rural revitalization.

Zhang Jing, an RCRE assistant researcher, told China Newsweek that there is still a lot of room to attract, train and make full use of rural talents as part of the country's rural revitalization project.

"What the local government should do, what social organizations should do, and what the rural talents cultivated in the countryside can do is not clear, and all those need improvement," Zhang said.

(Cover: A young couple checks the growth of seedlings in Anqing City, east China's Anhui Province, April 11, 2023. /CFP)