Farmer-deputy narrows urban-rural income gap

Ever since Zhang Zhongshan quit his job in the city and returned to his home in a county of Gansu province in 2017, he has been working to develop his business and help fellow villagers pursue prosperity.

As a new deputy from Gansu to the 14th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, Zhang hopes he can take the lead in promoting rural revitalization and promoting high-quality agricultural development in his hometown — Dongxiang autonomous county of Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture.

In response to the government's policy that encouraged those working outside the village to come back and start businesses, Zhang established a planting and breeding cooperative in Dongxiang after returning, attracting 70 of his fellow villagers to raise sheep together.

Dongxiang has a long history of raising a kind of sheep that can produce delicious mutton, and most local farmers make their living from them.

During training courses in 2017 organized by local governments in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, and Xiamen, Fujian province, Zhang said he learned new things about e-commerce and got the idea of developing his business via e-commerce platforms.