Chongqing - On February 18, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality launched its Rural Talent Revitalization Action Plan, which aims to add over 100,000 new talents to rural areas by 2027 and more than 200,000 by 2030. 

At its heart, the plan is designed to address the needs of young talents for rural development in six key areas: industry, ecology, culture and tourism, public services, expert assistance, and talent empowerment.

One of the plan's standout features is the "Golden White-Collar" project, which aims to cultivate entrepreneurial talent in rural industries. Each year, 1,000 individuals will receive training, technical guidance, and financial support to help them establish and grow their businesses. In the realm of culture and tourism, the plan introduces the "Guardian of Crafts" project, which focuses on preserving and promoting traditional crafting skills.

Chongqing's villages are developing their tourist specialties. (Photo/Wang Quanchao)

Public services are also a key focus. The plan calls for recruiting at least 4,000 new talents for township and street-level public service units. This includes a special emphasis on healthcare, with targeted recruitment for rural health clinics and hospitals.

The "Hundred Teams, Thousand Experts" service team was officially dispatched as part of the launch event. This year, 126 expert teams, comprising 1,041 experts from industrial development, public services, education, and healthcare, will provide technical support and consultation to 126 rural units across Chongqing.   

As early as in 2011, Qin Yuefei, a Yale graduate from Chongqing, made a life-changing decision. Instead of pursuing a rosy career in finance in the United States, he returned to China to serve as a village official in Hunan Province in central China. Dressed like a local farmer and working tirelessly to attend to the villagers' needs, Qin enjoyed his work as he breathed in the fresh air of rural land and brought smiles to people's faces. His dedication to rural development has since inspired many, and his story is a testament to the power of grassroots efforts in transforming rural communities.

In recent decades, Southwest China's Chongqing has accelerated its investment in cultivating young rural management talents like Qin. By 2024, the city has attracted over 60,000 people to its rural sector and provided skill training to 52,000 people. Meanwhile, many local experts are encouraged to work in the field to support talent cultivation. In 2024, the experts reached out to 17,000 people, created more than 3,000 jobs, and increased Chongqing's rural income by over 500 million yuan (USD 68.65 million).

For many who want to follow Qin on the path of rural service, the Rural Talent Revitalization Action Plan will bring new opportunities and resources to rural areas and foster a sense of pride and purpose among residents.