Last year, 10 million people returned to the countryside to start businesses, a rise of 19 percent from 2019 and the biggest increase in recent years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Online stores, livestreaming sales and contact-free delivery have provided new opportunities for rural entrepreneurs, said Liu Huanxin, the vice-minister. He added that migrant workers, college graduates, military veterans and women were among the major groups returning to the rural areas.
More than 19 million returnees have become employed in or near their hometowns, Liu said during a video conference in March.
Of the returnees, 20 percent started work in crop cultivation and animal husbandry, including seed propagation and family-run farms. Meanwhile, 50 percent established small factories and businesses, and about 25 percent joined small…
