Villages become entrepreneurship hubs for youngsters in Chongqing

CHONGQING -- In the past, residents of underprivileged villages often made a one-way journey to the cities, in the hope of boosting their incomes and supporting their families remotely. These days, however, there is a growing flow of traffic in the other direction, as young entrepreneurs, students and researchers descend on villages, drawn by their development potential.

The orchid plantation base in Pengxiang village, Sanjiao township, Qijiang district, southwest China's Chongqing municipality, features 20,000 bowls of orchids of 300 varieties. Here, barren land has been transformed into a one-million-yuan industry, thanks to the efforts of Ao Qingui, who started this business in 2018 when she was just 23 years old.

Working for a pet clinic for over a year in Chengdu, Chongqing's twin city in Sichuan province, Ao felt a little bit uneasy about the competitive working environment. "At that time, I hoped to find a job that would give me more passion and freedom, one that not only had material significance, but also spiritual significance," said Ao.

Driven by her love for orchids, she quit her job and opened an orchid shop in her hometown of Qijiang in 2016. But she didn't want to just run a small shop, so she made a business plan for a large-scale orchid plantation and participated in entrepreneurship competitions at the district and municipality levels.

Her efforts met with success, and she secured 100,000 yuan ($14,000) in competition winnings, together with 200,000 yuan borrowed from the bank with a government guarantee, to launch her business. Having completed the groundwork, she moved back to the village and established the plantation base.

"My current achievements cannot be separated from the government's help, especially those competitions, which gave me a clearer understanding of my career and ample money for my business," said Ao, who has become a local political advisor due to her outstanding role in rural revitalization.

Xu Zhijie, the director of the local employment and talent center, said his organization attaches great importance to young people's entrepreneurship. This year, the center has guaranteed over 35 million yuan for young entrepreneurs, with over 1 million yuan awarded to 30 outstanding business programs.

In Fulu village, Shijiao township in Qijiang, a 27-year-old man named Zhou Jie opened a resort on a mountainside this May. The resort made over 1 million yuan in revenue in just two months.

"During the pandemic, countryside tourism was touted for its distance advantages. Thanks to national policies such as rural revitalization, villages now have good infrastructure and preferential terms for entrepreneurs. In this way, villages have peeled off the labels of being backward or undeveloped," said Zhou.

Zhou's point is illustrated by the fact that there are 10 young people working at the resort. Among them is Shi Lingling, 27, whose job involves providing outdoor classes for children.

"This job gives me a lot of surprises, because the way it operates is very creative. My colleagues are easy to talk to, the work environment is relaxing and the infrastructure is good," said Shi.

Shi also added that, in her hometown of Zhongfeng township in Qijiang, many of her friends have returned for work due to the rapid development since the establishment of a power plant.

To Zhou, the resort is a microcosm of the life of villages in the future. "Young people and old people, outsiders and local people, traditional culture and new culture can all be seen here, transforming the previous image of villages without people or work opportunities," said Zhou.

In recent years, more and more schools have also used villages as research centers, helping students to understand rural industries from an early age. Recently, Chongqing College of Mobile Communication organized a five-day field trip for 20 students to research village industries in Sanjiao.

"With the upgrading of roads and networks, the village has become more attractive to people. If the village provides opportunities, I don't mind working here," said Li Hongyu, a 20-year-old student on the trip.