Yearender: Tech-driven rural revitalization takes roots across China -Xinhua
Yearender: Tech-driven rural revitalization takes roots across China
Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2025-12-30 22:54:15
A drone photo shows harvesters reaping wheat in the fields in Pantang Village of Lizhuang Town, Shangqiu City, central China's Henan Province, June 4, 2025. (Photo by Li Heng/Xinhua)
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- China is wrapping up its 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) and set to enter the next five-year development period. Over the past five years, China's countryside has become more vibrant and prosperous, with grain production setting a new record, agricultural modernization making progress and rural communities becoming more livable.
Join us on a visual journey to witness the dynamic transformations unfolding across China's vast countryside in 2025.
TECHNOLOGY RESHAPING AGRICULTURE
China is reshaping its agriculture with technological innovations that help ensure the country's food security and lay the groundwork for rural revitalization. Smart agriculture is flourishing across China with AI, low-altitude technology, and information technology being progressively integrated into farming and grain processing.
A staff member maintains the autonomous seeding intelligent system at Youyi Farm Co., Ltd. under Beidahuang Group in Shuangyashan City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, March 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Song)A technician checks the growth of seedlings at an intelligent seedling nursery base in Shuangxing Village of Yongchuan District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, March 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)An aerial drone photo taken on July 2, 2025 shows smart glass greenhouses at a modern agricultural industrial park in Fuyuan City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)A drone photo taken on March 14, 2025 shows a potato seeding machine loaded with Beidou navigation system working in a field in Liuwang Town, Qingdao City of east China's Shandong Province. (Photo by Zhang Jingang/Xinhua)Farmers operate a drone to fertilize a wheat field in Hezhuang Village, Jurong City of east China's Jiangsu Province, March 14, 2025. (Photo by Zhong Xueman/Xinhua)An aerial drone photo taken on May 7, 2025 shows a self-propelled irrigation machine operating in a wheat field in Nanhan Village of Wenxian County, Jiaozuo City, central China's Henan Province. (Photo by Xu Hongxing/Xinhua)An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 6, 2025 shows a farmer operating a vehicle to spray pesticides in a rice field in Hai'an City, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Zhai Huiyong/Xinhua)An aerial drone photo shows harvesters working at a soybean field of a farming company under Beidahuang Group in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 29, 2025. (Photo by Lu Wenxiang/Xinhua)A cotton picker operates in a field in Xayar County of Aksu, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Jia Zhao)A harvester works in a highland barley field in Lhunzhub County, in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Sept. 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZING RURAL LIFE
The wave of technological empowerment is sweeping China's vast countryside, playing a critical role in the country's push for rural revitalization, further narrowing the urban-rural gap and bringing common prosperity to rural residents.
An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 26, 2025 shows a high-speed train running pass Banliang Village in Yongxing, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Zhao Zhongzhi)An aerial drone photo taken on June 16, 2025 shows a wind-solar hybrid power plant near Caojiazhuang Village, Zanhuang County, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao)An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025 shows the rooftop photovoltaic power project in Tengtou village of Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)A technician introduces an integrated photovoltaic charging and storage station in Meilin Village, Xiaoshan District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Aug. 4, 2025. (Xinhua/Mao Zhu)A teacher gives a lesson to students using a smart blackboard in a digital classroom at Simin Primary School in Dongbaihu Town of Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 15, 2025.(Xinhua/Xu Yu)A doctor examines a patient on a "smart mobile clinic," which brings essential healthcare services to local villagers, in Libao Village, Jingning She Autonomous County, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)A staff member checks a drone used for transporting medical items outside a clinic in Linta Village of Liangduo Town, Dongtai City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Aug. 26, 2025. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)An unmanned express delivery vehicle carrying parcels travels on a village road in Changhe Village, Haian City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Zhou Qiang/Xinhua)
TECHNOLOGY EMPOWERING "NEW FARMERS"
With the improvements in rural infrastructure over recent years, along with factors such as a favorable ecological environment, a slower pace of life and lower living costs, a growing number of more highly educated "new farmers" are returning to the countryside, helping to reshape Chinese agriculture by applying technology and business expertise to fields once dominated by manual labor.
Zhang Guihua, Party secretary of Sunzigou Village, promotes oranges via live-streaming at an orchard in Cangxi County of Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 12, 2025. Cangxi County has crafted an innovative model to boost rural development, which incorporates family farming cooperatives, live-streaming platforms as well as online and offline marketing. Remarkably, Party secretaries of villages in the county are spearheading sessions of e-commerce promotion, driving the sales of local specialties across the country to substantially improve local farmers' income. (Xinhua/Zhang Long)Wu Guangrong (L) introduces camellia oil to a visitor at the ecological park in Longli County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 11, 2025. Wu Guangrong, born in Fangxiang Township of Guizhou Province, has been engaged in the landscaping industry for many years since he graduated from a forestry vocational school in 2001. With a special affection for forestry, he contracted a barren mountain of 4,000 mu (about 659 acres) in a village in Longli County in 2013 and gradually developed it into an ecological park mainly planting oil tea camellia, supplemented by greening seedlings, high-quality fruits and forest farming. Recently, Wu's ecological park has become a pillar industry for local rural revitalization, not only transforming barren mountains green, but also providing jobs for local villagers. (Xinhua)Han Fengxiang explains the smart agriculture system to farmers at her cooperative in Lishu County, northeast China's Jilin Province, Oct. 9, 2025. Han Fengxiang, 43, returned to her hometown in Jilin's Lishu County to run a cooperative in 2010. Instead of relying on traditional farming methods, Han carried out mechanized farming leveraging large-scale agricultural machinery to enhance the grain output. She also led the cooperative to actively explore new management models. Through live streaming and other means, they have developed a model of "planting, breeding, processing and sales", injecting new vitality into rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)He Xiaozhen (L) shoots a video of her husband Xiao Shenglan picking peppers at Xiao's farm in Ningxiang City, central China's Hunan Province, Feb. 6, 2025. Xiao Shenglan and his wife He Xiaozhen are committed to pioneering the cultivation of the overwintering pepper plants in Hunan. In terms of breeding, they cooperated with research institutes and agricultural experts to sort breeds, cultivate plants and explore disease resistance methods. Through their unswerving efforts, the overwintering pepper cultivation has been developed and widely applied. To boast sales, Xiao Shenglan also tried turning to social media platforms and promoted the pepper with short video. Inspired by their successful attempt, more than 200 people were brought along to the industry. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)Dai Shuying (L) operates a plant protection drone under the guidance of her grandson Wang Tiantian in Laomei Village of Xindu Town, Tongcheng City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 23, 2025. 82-year-old Dai Shuying lives with her eldest son and grandson in Laomei Village. Although she doesn't do much farm work now, she occasionally uses a drone to help to spray pesticides and fertilizers for the corps under the guidance of her grandson Wang Tiantian. Accompanied by Wang, she also promotes and sells agricultural products such as rice and oil through live streaming, and enjoys shooting videos with him. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)Zhang Zhongshan checks the growth of sheep at the breeding farm of his cooperative in Dongxiang Autonomous County of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, Feb. 25, 2025. Zhang Zhongshan is the head of a planting and breeding cooperative in Dongxiang Autonomous County. After graduating from a vocational school in 2013, Zhang left his hometown for work, where he gained experience and knowledge in e-commerce. In 2018, encouraged by government policies, Zhang returned to Dongxiang and founded the cooperative, focusing on the breeding, sales, and promotion of local agricultural products, including Dongxiang sheep. With modernized sheep farming, Zhang's cooperative has helped boost the incomes of more than 500 local households. (Xinhua/Chen Bin)Long Luying (L) guides workers on how to operate the equipment at an intelligent embroidery workshop in Shibing County of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Oct. 10, 2025. Long Luying is a provincial-level inheritor of Miao embroidery, having learned the craft from her mother during her childhood. In 2006, she left her job at an embroidery workshop in Shenzhen and returned to her hometown in Shibing County where she launched her own business focused on handmade Miao embroidery. Over the years, Long Luying has provided free training in embroidery techniques to local women, creating job opportunities for more than 1,200 rural women in the village. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)Wei Chun (1st R) talks with a staff member at the Hotland studio in Dadugang Township in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 20, 2025. Wei Chun, a returnee appointed in June 2024 as the "Village CEO," also known as an agricultural manager, of a collective economy company in Dadugang Township, has effectively Leveraged the local tea industry foundation to revitalize idle resources. Under her leadership, an integrated tea-cultural-tourism space has been established, accompanied by systematic skills training programs. By 2025, she has helped over 100 villagers acquire new skills, attracted nine talents to return home and start businesses, and enabled all six village committees in the township to achieve collective economic incomes exceeding 100,000 yuan (about 14,303.1 US dollars) each. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)■
