Yucun, a village in Anji, a county in east China's Zhejiang Province, is known for its lucid waters and lush mountains. This is where the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" was unveiled in 2005. Anji County, the cradle of the concept, is a fine example of ecological transformation, and it draws tourists, both from home and abroad. More importantly, Anji beckons its natives to return home.
Of the youngsters who have returned home to Anji, Ding Wenwen, a young woman, runs a rural-management company. She was listed, earlier this year, as one of the 10 rural-management instructors in Zhejiang. Thanks in part to Ding's efforts, a young-talent community has taken shape in Anji. The community is based in Yucun, and it involves the participation of young people from neighboring towns and villages. The community has been successful in convincing young people to pursue careers in the countryside.
In 2021, Ding began working in Yucun. At the time, Yucun was prioritizing the development of tourism, homestays and farmhouses, and the village was seeking capable, young people to contribute to its development. That same year, Yucun was named one of the first group of "Best Tourism Villages" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Seizing the momentum, Yucun extended a global invitation to young visionaries, calling on them to join as "Yucun global partners," to help shape the village's future.
"We were pleasantly surprised to find, once the global-partners program was launched, we received inquiries from 300-400 people, which showed many young people had love, curiosity and expectations for the countryside," Ding says.
During the past few years, Ding has led her teamin implementing the program. More than 30 projects (under the program) have been launched, and they have allowed nearly 400 young people to find jobs in Yucun. Global partners have created 46 local, creative cultural products, facilitated 32 cooperation initiatives, brought in more than 100 commercial resources, and organized 486 public-welfare activities. Residents have greatly benefited from the efforts. Based on the "Yucun global partners" program, which requires long-term participation, Ding has led her team in developing more programs, which have featured short-term and/or flexible participation, to suit young people's needs.
In 2022, Ding and her team proposed the "Rural Women's Strength" brand, to help women foster 12 types of capabilities; for example, their communication, innovation and aesthetic capabilities. "Let's take aesthetics as an example. Women love beauty. If a product looks good, then it is likely to become popular," Ding says. Yucun has a rural cycling club, which has attracted many cycling enthusiasts. The blue house of the cycling club is very beautiful, and the interior decorations are delicate, forming a demonstration of women's aesthetics and creativity. Young people who love cycling gather at the house. Many have formed a small community and a club.
Ding's team has been successful in tapping the creativity of locals, or the "original villagers," while also stimulating the potential of their partners, or the "new villagers." Through various interactions, the groups have established emotional links and achieved mutual growth. "One of our partners is a girl, who is engaged in self-media operations. She came to Yucun to teach the women in the village to shoot videos, and to do promotions. The women, in return, have taught the girl to make local crafts. Everyone learns from each other's strength, and they interact very well," Ding says.
Villagers now organize various activities to promote exchanges. For instance, "new villagers" teach "original villagers" how to make coffee, practice yoga and speak English, while "original villagers" teach "new villagers" how to make qingtuan (a traditional Chinese snack) and protect the village's bamboo forest. The villagers share their daily lives with each other, and they communicate their ideas on how to make the village a more beautiful place. The groups have injected fresh vitality into the village, by combining local resources with new forms of businesses.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the "two mountains" concept, and Ding's fifth year working in Yucun. Ding says she expects more people, maybe even hundreds or thousands of people, will help rural areas develop across the country. "There will be two-way attraction between rural areas and young people, so young people can realize their dreams in the countryside," Ding says.
Photos from Interviewees
(Women of China English Monthly August 2025)
Editor: Wang Shasha
