Village CEOs seek unique rural growth

The development of Yong'an has drawn young people who had migrated for work to return and start their own businesses, such as study tour agencies, minsu (Chinese-style bed-and-breakfast establishments), and handicraft shops.

Xie Bing, once a new media professional in Shanghai, has worked as the village CEO of Honglishan village in Huzhou for three years.

In 2020, Xie launched a rafting project that has brought visitors and new opportunities to the village.

Subsequently, he suggested developing its traditional houses into an old-street scenic spot and encouraged local people to start their minsu businesses.

Since 2022, the village has received more than 600,000 visitors and generated tourism revenue of 40 million yuan, driving up villagers' incomes by more than 1 million yuan.

"The village CEO helps us to tackle the problems we face, which has greatly supported us in developing our businesses," said Zheng Yunyu, manager of Huihong Farmland in Honglishan.

Lujia village was the first in Huzhou to recruit a village CEO.In 2019, the village posted a recruitment advertisement to hire a village CEO with an annual salary of 300,000 yuan.

Although the village CEO has helped promote the development of the village, a professional team will work more effectively, said Zhu Renbin, Party secretary of Lujia.

"It's hard for an individual to ensure the long-term sustainable development of a village. That's why we recruit an operations team," Zhu said.

Now, a professional team works in Lujia village, with one person assigned to each task.

In September, Zhejiang launched the "1,000 Village CEO Training Plan".

Among the first group of 100 trainees from across the province, about 60 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher.

The training, which is expected to last nine months, includes lectures, on-site training, remote teaching, and exchange visits.

Chang Yingjiao, one of the trainees, is a new village CEO of Xingang village in Yuhang district.

Chang, who graduated from Shanxi Agricultural University in 2015, worked in the tourism industry in Shanghai for six years. Inspired by the prospects of rural revitalization, she returned to her hometown Xingang as a village CEO in February.

"Despite years of work experience, I still feel at a loss in rural operations since it is a completely new field for me," said Chang, "The training, during which teachers provide different views on rural operations, helps a lot."

Gao Bingxia, founder of a study tour agency in Wenzhou village, also attended the training. Gao hopes to bring her entrepreneurial experience and resources back to the village to help in its development.

mazhenhuan@chinadaily.com.cn