Home Is Where The Heart Is

The Spring Festival was always a tough time of year for Zhang Yunhai. Like other migrant workers working in urban areas, each year he would have the arduous task of competing with thousands to buy a train ticket to his home village to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, the most important festival in China, and had to struggle with the emotional heartache of leaving his family when returning to city life. However, after spending six years employed in the manufacturing hub of Dongguan in south China’s Guangdong Province, Zhang is now his own man and in high spirits over the holidays. Two years ago, he returned to his home in Taihe County, east China’s Anhui Province, and decided to abandon the tough life of an urban migrant worker in favor of setting up his own business growing veg- etables.

“Thanks to the choice I made, I have managed to get somewhere in my career and now have more time to spend with my daughter and care for my parents,” the 33-year-old said. He said he is very satisfi ed with his current life. Instead of the roller coaster ride of reunion and separation, the Spring Festival for Zhang is now a time of family contentment enhanced by a sense of permanence.

In 2016, Zhang founded a firm in his hometown to grow and sell organic greenhouse vegetables with 200,000 yuan ($31,800) he had saved while working in Dongguan. Today, the business is a shining example in Taihe, making an annual profi t of 100,000 yuan ($15,900) for his family and employing 10 local farmers.

Zhang is one of China’s 7 million migrant workers and university graduates who have returned to their hometowns and started agriculture-related businesses. Statistics released by the Ministry of Agriculture show that this number is increasing by 10 percent every year. With improved infrastructure and favorable supporting policies, China’s rural areas are attracting entrepreneurial farmers who had previously left their families behind in favor of earning money in cities. This pro- cess is improving the quality of life in rural China and giving families the chance to stay together. Having gained broad vision, skills and market awareness in cities, these re- turnee entrepreneurs are becoming a driving force in agricultural modernization and rural economic development.

New dynamic generation

Anhui is one of China’s major sources of labor. Since China adopted the policy of reform and opening up in 1978, rural resi- dents from this area have been pouring into metropolises and coastal cities, contributing to the rapid urbanization in these regions. The latest figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics show that China had 282 million migrant workers at the end of 2016, 48 percent of the total rural population.

“The longer I stayed in cities, the more I felt homesick. People like me used to re- gard cities as the only destinations to realize dreams or make fortunes, but ignored the fact that our own hometown is the place in urgent need of talented people,” said Zhang. To complete the building of a moder- ately prosperous society in all aspects by the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2021, China still faces the challenge of bridging the rural-urban gap. At the 19th CPC National Congress held in October 2017, rural vitalization was high- lighted as a national strategy to meet this challenge.

“Thriving agriculture-related industries are fundamental to adding vitality to the rural economy,” said Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture. “The key is to stimulate and provide support to rural areas to tap their own potential through innovation and entre- preneurship,” he added.

According to statistics by the Ministry of Agriculture, over 80 percent of businesses set up by returnee migrant workers and uni- versity graduates are engaged in agriculture- related projects, each of which creates eight jobs on average. “These are huge and powerful demographic dividends for rural vitalization,” said Zong Jinyao, an official in charge of rural innovation and entrepreneur- ship at the ministry.

Unlike previous farmers, this generation of returnee migrant workers like Zhang has a different perspective on how to build a pros- perous countryside. Experience in cities has broadened their minds and equipped them with skills and market awareness.

They are also able to use technology to their advantage. Zhang works with local logistics companies to sell his vegetables online. “Through improving the effi ciency of marketing by means of the Internet, I man- aged to save considerable costs,” he said.

Zong believes these former migrant workers also have another edge. “Familiar with local customs and situations and emo- tionally bonded to hometown development, they are more likely to build sustainable businesses,” he said, noting that successful farmers act as a beacon to attract more tal- ented people to rural areas.

Improved hometowns

Besides entrepreneurial experience, returnee migrant workers are motivated to introduce elements of urban life and improve public fa- cilities at home. “I want life in my village to be comparable with that in cities. We should have comfortable houses, beautiful parks, and su- permarkets with a wide range of products,” said Zhang. “Establishing a sustainable business to secure stable incomes is how I can contribute to this idyllic scenario,” he added.

The Chinese Government has intro- duced favorable policies to help people like Zhang to realize their dreams. Those include upgrading rural infrastructure, offering sub- sidies, streamlining business registration procedures, improving fi nancial services and setting up entrepreneurial parks. “Due to government support, the attraction of rural areas is increasing,” said Zong.

In recent years, a fl ourishing urban econo- my and a rising awareness of healthy lifestyles have increased the demand for organic agricul- tural products and rural tourism. “These present lucrative opportunities for returnee migrant workers,” said Zong.

The Ministry of Agriculture said China’s leisure agriculture and rural tourism sectors received 2.1 billion visitors in 2016, generat- ing revenue of 570 billion yuan ($90.5 billion) and benefi ting 6.72 million rural households. Being aware of this trend, Zhang expanded his business to cover agrotourism and accom- modation. “Just with the vegetable picking service alone, my income increased by 20 percent,” he said.

“Boosted by a growing economy, the living conditions, healthcare, employment and public facilities are all expected to improve in leaps and bounds,” said Zong.

The problem of inadequate care for rural seniors and children not living with adult family members will also be resolved as more migrant workers head back home to build sustainable businesses.

Challenges ahead

Despite his newly found success, Zhang’s indoor farming business hasn’t all been plain sailing. He suffered initially due to a lack of funds and experience. His fi rst winter of running vegetable greenhouses was a big failure as he didn’t take local conditions like soil, humidity and precipita- tion into consideration.

“The vegetables didn’t grow well and I lost over 5,000 yuan ($795),” he recalled, learning valuable lessons along the way. The current expansion to agrotourism is also testing his competency of management and marketing. He said his expansion plans are being undermined by the fact that he had a poor education.

Because of this, migrant workers fe el that along with attracting them to return home, the government should also help by integrating education resources in vocational institutions and providing tailored training services for the new farmers.

Zhang advised those migrants who want to start businesses back home to do research be- fore choosing projects and be well prepared for diffi culties. “Doing things on a whim is doomed to failure,” he said, adding that success comes from understanding what needs to be done and keeping one’s feet fi rmly on the ground.

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