Planting the roots of rural commercial education

HOHHOT－Before Spring Festival, Xu Zhanxiang visited people from Gaomaoquan village in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, with fellow livestreamers.

Xu is an entrepreneur who runs a company that assists aspiring young people with rural entrepreneurship.

Livestreaming e-commerce is one of his businesses, which helps to boost sales of local agricultural products and bring additional income to farmers.

Capitalizing on the country's strategy of rural vitalization, Xu's company began to provide voluntary training to college students who aspire to be "rural makers".

Trainees have multiple job choices, such as taking part in livestreaming e-commerce and local factory production.

To spur students' enthusiasm, Xu goes to college campuses in Inner Mongolia to give speeches. Thirteen sessions of social practice have been carried out so far, covering around 300 students.

"For me, it is a worthwhile cause as long as one trainee is willing to contribute to rural vitalization," Xu says.

Liu Xiuyuan, a local villager, says, "We are happy to have young 'makers' here and we really have a good harvest."

Thanks to new seed varieties and scientific farming methods brought in by young trainees, the corn yield per hectare of land has risen from around 5.25 metric tons to around 10.5 tons.

"Rural maker economy" is thriving. In Yulingguan village, Qingliangfeng township in Zhejiang province, young trainee Hong Liyue set up a demonstration base of Asian honeybees, providing local bee owners with technical assistants and unified purchase services.

As a national nature reserve, Qingliangfeng township offers a favorable habitat for Asian honeybees. They are easy to raise because they have strong nectar-gathering capability and adaptability, Hong says, adding that the honey taken from these bees can be sold directly and there is no secondary process.

"Yulingguan is home to many old people. It is good for villagers to raise Asian honeybees and sell honey to fatten their wallets," says Hong.

To attract more "rural makers", the township government has established a service center in its local exhibition space for agricultural products, offering a free venue for "rural makers" to develop their businesses.

So far, 110 people in the township are engaged in rural entrepreneurship, fostering multiple industries with local characteristics, such as homestays and vegetable and fruit cultivation.

China is stressing efforts to consolidate its poverty elimination achievements and push for rural vitalization.

Xu is delighted to see growing support and find more young people who are willing to start businesses in rural areas.

Xinhua