E-commerce revamps farming area

Editor's note: As the annual two sessions approach in March, this series reviews the past year's work of national legislators and political advisers, while previewing key issues set to feature high on this year's national agenda.

Chen Yujia has spent her term as Heilongjiang province deputy to the 14th National People's Congress focused on advocating for rural vitalization.

For the upcoming annual session of the NPC, Chen, 37, Communist Party of China secretary of Shangguandi village in Ning'an, Heilongjiang province, said she plans to propose the establishment of rural tourism regulations, including clearer management rules for rural homestays.

"A standardized system can help continuously showcase the charm of rural China and better promote the sustainable development of rural tourism," she said.

Chen has made rural development a central theme of her work since she was elected a national legislator in 2023. That same year, she proposed prioritizing policies that will attract young people to return to rural areas and inject fresh vitality into village development efforts.

In 2024, she called for more detailed supportive policies aimed at rural specialty industries to boost farmers' enthusiasm for grain cultivation.

She also suggested strengthening policy support for the registration, creative design and advertising of specialty agricultural product brands, helping farmers build more high-quality brands with regional characteristics and enhance the visibility of rural industries.

The following year, Chen turned her attention to digital transformation in rural areas. She recommended increased support for the research and application of agricultural digital technologies, enhanced training for rural e-commerce talent, improvements to rural logistics and distribution systems, and accelerated construction of digital platforms for rural governance.

Chen's hometown, Shangguandi, is known for its production of "slate rice", which is nourished by volcanic soil.

However, for many years the high-quality rice struggled to sell at profitable prices, a problem that concerned villagers, including Chen.

After graduating in 2012 from Harbin Sport University, Chen became a physical education teacher at Ning'an No 1 Middle School. Despite her stable job, she remained deeply attached to her hometown and its development.

As early as 2008, Chen's mother, Chu Lijuan, led villagers in establishing a cooperative to promote large-scale rice cultivation. But limited by traditional planting and sales methods, villagers saw little improvement in their incomes, and the village collective economy often ran at a deficit.

"I have a deep affection for the black land," Chen said. "Watching my mother work hard in the fields from a young age, I came to understand the hardships farmers face early on."

In 2016, Chen quit her teaching job and returned to Shangguandi to start a business.

"I had a simple goal — to help villagers sell rice at a good price and improve their lives," she said.

After returning, Chen became sales manager of the Xuanwu Lake Rice Professional Cooperative. Following extensive research, she decided to promote a green, ecological and organic planting model to raise both quality and market value.

She preserved traditional farming practices such as manual transplanting, harvesting and rolling to minimize disruption to rice growth. She also introduced soil testing and formula-based fertilization, applying nutrients precisely according to soil conditions. In addition, insect-killing lamps and ducks raised in the fields were used for pest control and weeding, producing green, organic and healthy rice.

Recognizing the potential for e-commerce, Chen led young villagers in forming a livestreaming sales team. Through online broadcasts, they showcased the rice-growing environment and production process, allowing consumers to see the fields firsthand and helping the rice reach markets nationwide.

To further expand sales, Chen organized the launch of a "landlord planting" model in 2020.

"In spring, consumers can adopt a plot of rice field, and after the autumn harvest, they receive the rice produced from that plot," she said. "They can also visit the village to experience farming activities such as transplanting and harvesting at no extra cost."

She said the idea came from interactions with viewers during live broadcasts, many of whom expressed a desire to experience farm life amid the village's natural scenery.

The cooperative soon became a popular online brand. Its organic rice planting area expanded from 3.33 hectares to 120 hectares, providing jobs for more than 500 farmers in the village and nearby areas.

The growth of rural tourism increased villagers' incomes and brought greater visibility to Shangguandi, transforming it from an obscure village into a model for rural vitalization.

Today, residents across the village are actively involved in vitalization efforts. Inspired by Chen's work, more young people have returned to the village to contribute to its development.

Beyond submitting proposals at the NPC, Chen regularly conducts field research and listens to villagers' concerns. At the beginning of 2026, she was appointed Party secretary of Shangguandi.

"I feel a heavier responsibility on my shoulders," she said. "I will work with villagers to create more wealth from our limited land while enriching their spiritual lives, achieving both material and cultural prosperity in the near future."