ongjiang was recently chosen as one of the third batch of national model counties for its outstanding work in rural innovation and entrepreneurship, and is the only district in Shanghai on the list.

Around 700 individuals with good financing and technical expertise have started their own businesses in rural Songjiang, bringing vigor to the countryside.

Zhang Chunhui is one of the 700 rural entrepreneurs. Before venturing into agriculture in 2016, he had been a successful manufacturer of candles and his product was once the best-seller in the annual Double Eleven shopping spree.

Drawing on his experience of growing up in a rural area, he concluded that most of the profits made in sales of agricultural commodities go to the middlemen instead of the farmers who actually produce such high-quality products. To tackle this issue, he started his own e-commerce and offline brand —— Jialv, meaning green home, aiming to directly link farmers to buyers, simplify the selling process and increase farmers’ income.

Rice was the only product available when Zhang first started. But now the business has expanded to provide a wide range of produce, such as melons, strawberries, grapes, cherry tomatoes, eggs and vegetables. It has opened physical stores as well as e-shops with various distribution channels.

Apart from selling products, Zhang Chunhui also provides services. Last year, he invested in building an orchard where visitors can pick their own fruit, do farm work and observe the crops grow. The orchard, named Rainbow Farm, will open to the public in May this year.

Standardization is to be avoided in rural innovation and entrepreneurship. The owners of “Beautiful Kitchen”, a business that provides shooting locations for food programs, have figured out their own way of being innovative. Guo Yue and Lu Sen converted an old, unused farm house in Yaojing village of Maogang town into a dream kitchen.

The kitchen is divided into two sections: one part is used to make traditional Chinese food like wontons and dumplings, the other part is for bakery. There’s also an assortment of kitchenware from all over the world on display, from Swiss Fondu items to Korean ceramic cooking pots. Fresh lettuces and cherry tomatoes that are perfect for salads are grown in the backyard.

Other entrepreneurs have also experimented with new business modes. Also located in Maogang town, Zhou Jiechen’s “Grass & Wood Dyeing Workshop” uses a traditional formula to dye scarfs. Some visitors to the workshop want to dye scarfs, other just want to buy them.

Increasing farmers’ income and promoting rural industries are the main targets of the rural entrepreneurship and innovation project. There are a number of government reports on the subject, including the No.1 Central Document. Departments such as the National Rural Revitalization Administration have been set up to address the issue.

In Songjiang, 20 million yuan (USD 3 million) of financial aid has been earmarked to support rural innovation and entrepreneurship, together with a series of new policies. The G60 innovation corridor youth exchange platform and the annual Rural Revitalization Contest were set up to meet the growing demand for talented young people in rural innovation.

A makers’ league called Rural Innovator’s League provides counseling and planning services for rural innovators.  Beneficiaries include “Daqing Gardening” and “Yinhe Pottery”, both run by young makers seeking fortune in the new rural.

Zhang Jingbo, head of the Rural Innovators’ League, said that their main roles are to organize cultural events, promote businesses’ images and products, and link businesses with potential customers.