County's call for talent return pays off

Xifeng county in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province has been calling for the return of talent born in the city, and encouraging them to aid in the county's rural revitalization efforts.

In response to the government's call, Shu Hong returned to her hometown of Dahong village in Shidong town in 2015 and invested 30 million yuan ($4.71 million) to found the Guizhou Zhongkang Agricultural Technology Co. The village used to be on the national poor village list due to its inconvenient transportation, scant water resources and weak industrial foundation.

Shu and her company have assisted villagers in shaking off poverty. The company's kiwi fruit business has enabled 1,155 registered impoverished people to make a better living. In 2021, Shu was selected as the president of Xifeng county's talent union.

Thanks to the help of such talent, Shidong town has introduced 57 agricultural operators, provided more than 2,000 jobs for locals, and its per-capita disposable income has surged from 5,900 yuan back in 2016 to 12,700 yuan in 2020. The town has recently been recognized as among the first group of national demonstration towns and villages.

Accessing education, especially pre-school education, had been a struggle for villagers in Tianchong village of Xishan town, until Wang Yanxiang, a talent from the town, established a temporary education site by transforming her own house and yard.

In 2019, the village invested nearly 400,000 yuan and founded a kindergarten, which Wang was persuaded by the government to operate.

Xifeng county will continue its campaign to encourage more talent to bring capital, technologies and jobs to the county, and complete its long-term talent service mechanism.