According to data released by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, there are currently 2.259 million talents living in rural areas of the province, driving the development and growth of over 60 rural industries with a billion-yuan ($138.91 million) output value over the past decade.

During a province-wide conference recently, the authorities sent a strong signal that Zhejiang's development focus for 2024 will be centered on deepening the implementation of the so-called "talent-strong province" strategy.  Rural talent is crucial to boosting agricultural productivity and bringing about common prosperity in rural areas.

Zhejiang refers to the young and middle-aged talent in the new rural population as "agricultural innovators." They are under the age of 45, have a college degree, have returned to their hometowns for entrepreneurship, and are highly innovative.

According to the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, since efforts began in 2015, over 62,000 agricultural innovators have been cultivated in Zhejiang.

Xie Yixue, a Wenzhou native and a graduate of Peking University, returned to her hometown to aid in the protection and development of the ancient village of Xu'aodi. She helped 32 village households engage in entrepreneurship, employed 148 local workers, and accumulated an additional income of 25 million yuan over five years.

Ye Chenglong, a graduate of Zhejiang Wanli University, and his classmates set up the "Yi Qi Fu" rural operation service platform. In just one year, they helped attract over one million consumers to 13 villages, with a total income exceeding 100 million yuan.