Would you leave the amenities and comforts of living in a city to relocate to a village?
Zhou Chaojun did exactly that.
He used to be an official with the Guangzhou Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. But in 2016, Zhou volunteered to serve in the rural area of the southern province of Guangdong.
CGTN reporter Li Zhao (R) speaks to Zhou Chaojun in Jiaowan Village, Nanxiong City, Guangdong Province, China. /CGTN Photo
With a smartphone at hand and a set of entrepreneurial ideas, he marched on to Jiaowan Village to help with the rejuvenation efforts there.
Jiaowan used to be a left-behind village – a community of children and elderly left to keep each other company after residents of employable age moved to cities. Zhou's ideas injected new blood in its local economy.
Along with other villagers, he harnessed the power of e-commerce in the country, while leveraging the village's strength – honey.
Beekeeping is big in the village, yet selling the produce was a headache, until farmers went digital.
"We want our farmers to focus on beekeeping, as for selling, we will take care of it. Through Internet, our honey can be sold to neighboring villages, even around China," Zhou told me.
I had to see the endeavor and its effects for myself, so I made my way to a local family. The Guos have witnessed the lows and highs of the town – and stuck around despite it all.
I was welcomed by the daughter Guo Yi, curled up in a chair. She's 14 years old, and a somewhat shy character.
CGTN reporters Sean Callebs (2nd L) and Li Zhao (1st R) pay a visit to local farmer Guo Jiangshan's home. /CGTN Photo
She also has poliomyelitis, a viral yet preventable disease that leads to muscle weakness, and sometimes permanent paralysis. Despite her condition, she's far ahead than her peers at school.
"My daughter is a good student," the father proudly told me. The collection of award certificates on the wall backs up his claim.
Efforts by the local government to lift the family above the 2,300 yuan (330 U.S. dollars) poverty line proved to be a success earlier this year. Selling honey online has also helped keep them afloat.
The family lives in a house that authorities helped fully renovate in 2011. The two-story estate also has a front yard, where the father keeps his beehives.
Guo's eyes shimmered. I knew she wanted to say something.
"Our old home was very cold in winter," she said. "It was dimly lit as well, I couldn't study."
"But look at our house now," she added.
Zhou, the local official who turned his back to city life to help develop this village, has big plans for the future.
"We have fresh air, greenery almost everywhere, and friendly people. We are looking forward to having more tourists visiting our area," Zhou said.
CGTN reporters pose in front of "Real Time China" CGTN Caravan. /CGTN Photo
Exploring megalopolises like Beijing and Shanghai is often on travelers' to-do list, but it is places like Jiaowan Village that show the real face of a changing China.
CGTN's special series “Real Time China” commemorates the 40th anniversary of the country's reform and opening up. The CGTN crew is crossing some 2,000 kilometers from the capital Beijing all the way to the southern city of Shenzhen by bus from December 5 to December 14, inspecting along the way what has changed and what remains the same after four decades of rapid development.