Finding Purpose in Rural Entrepreneurship
Young people are turning to agriculture to escape city pressures, transforming rural China with innovative businesses and a fresh perspective on rural life.
Embracing the Countryside
“When work gets tough, I’d rather go home and retreat to farming.”
This sentiment resonates with many young people feeling overwhelmed by urban life pressures. However, a determined group of young entrepreneurs isn’t just talking about it—they’re actively embracing rural China and seizing opportunities to build businesses.
Aviation to Agriculture: Shao Qiankuan’s Journey
After nearly six years as an aviation safety officer in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province, Shao Qiankuan, 29, left aviation in 2023 to become a partner in a farm due to limited career opportunities.
Challenges and Triumphs
Shao and his partners faced numerous challenges as newcomers to farming:
- Learning crop planting techniques
- Managing pest control
- Marketing produce: They needed to sell fruit corn within seven days of harvest.
Despite these obstacles, Shao’s farm has made significant progress this year:
- Experienced agricultural consultants were enlisted.
- Diversified crops included a new variety of fruit corn that sold out in field trials.
- Staggered planting methods extended their harvest season.
Leveraging Social Media
Shao taps into his passion for photography and video editing to document his farming journey on popular Chinese social media platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu. This not only helps introduce their products to a wider audience but also captivates followers interested in rural life.
A Growing Trend
Young entrepreneurs like Shao are part of a growing trend of young people returning to or venturing into rural areas to launch businesses.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, between 2012 and 2022, 12.2 million people engaged in rural entrepreneurship. By 2025, this number is expected to exceed 15 million, as outlined in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for agricultural and rural talent development.
Sun Lei’s E-commerce Success
Sun Lei, 27, from a village in East China’s Jiangxi province, started an e-commerce business during university, initially focusing on products from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Inspired by his hometown’s renowned navel oranges, Sun returned in 2020 to promote local agricultural products nationwide through videos and livestreaming.
Sun began training local farmers in video production in 2022, believing that rural development should empower farmers to effectively market their products.
Innovative Approaches in Agriculture
Sun’s decision to launch his business in his hometown was partly influenced by another young entrepreneur, Tang Xinchen, 27, who left his role as a product manager at an internet company in 2022 to return to his village in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan province.
Order-based Agriculture
Tang introduced an innovative sales strategy called order-based agriculture. This approach involves:
- Enrolling members a year in advance
- Growing crops based on pre-orders
- Delivering them within three days to guarantee peak freshness.
“This ensures predictability for farmers and delivers consumers the highest quality products,” Tang explained.
Incorporating New Technologies
Tang employs new technologies to improve efficiency:
- Unmanned vehicles for automated tasks like integrated water and fertilizer application.
- AI sorting systems that assess orange sweetness through spectral analysis.
Tang remains attentive to advancements in AI models, aiming to develop AI systems tailored for agricultural production.
Ren Yin’s Rural Cafe
Ren Yin, 27, had no prior experience in agriculture before returning to her rural hometown in Hangzhou. After graduating with a master’s degree in teaching Chinese as a foreign language from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Ren faced criticism that returning to rural areas was “a waste of her talent”.
However, Ren realized her professional background could be effectively applied to her new venture. In 2022, she opened a rural cafe in her hometown. Through both online and offline activities, she transformed it into a hub for local young people to socialize and exchange information and resources.
Government Support and Challenges
Ren has benefited from local government policies during her business journey. According to her, the village government actively supports new start-ups by investing in infrastructure, assisting with publicity and event organization, and fostering partnerships with external enterprises.
“I myself only had to invest in lightweight assets, which has been a great relief for young entrepreneurs,” Ren said.
However, the extent of policy support varies across different villages in China, influenced by their levels of economic development. Tang and his team, for example, had to live on the farm due to a lack of accommodation options.
The Reality of Rural Entrepreneurship
Despite the challenges, these young entrepreneurs remain optimistic. Ren aims to attract more young people to her rural hometown, where they can not only visit but also settle down and start businesses.
Shao cautioned that agriculture demands a significant initial investment, labour, and persistence before it becomes profitable. He advises aspiring young people to investigate and experiment extensively before committing to the field.
“Agriculture isn’t suited for those who lack industry knowledge and rely solely on passion,” Shao said. However, with advancing technology and increasing policy support, agriculture is an evolving and promising sector.
Pursuing Meaningful Endeavours
“While a stable job may offer ease and comfort, I find such a life too boring,” Shao said. “I want to pursue meaningful endeavours and fully explore life’s possibilities.”
Conclusion
Rural entrepreneurship in China is transforming rural areas and providing young people with opportunities to escape city pressures. By leveraging new technologies, innovative business models, and government support, these young entrepreneurs are creating a new narrative for rural China.
