College graduates' new career path as village officials

Since 2005, the Chinese government has encouraged university graduates to work in villages. The aim is to improve rural administration and create more jobs. It's brought fresh ideas and enthusiasm to many villages and thousands of college graduates have settled into their careers in these rural areas.

Fu Honglei, also called Xiao Fu, is one of a handful of college graduates working as village officials. At a regular meeting held by the village committee of Song Cun in Luoyang, Central Henan province, Xiao Fu is discussing a new preferential subsidy policy for local famers with other heads of the committee.

His assigned job was initially confined to paperwork and assistance. But he has been trying to do more for the village.

Xiao Fu says he bikes to the nearby county every week, in hopes of getting more information on job opportunities for those unemployed in the village. He points to printed job descriptions put up on the wall outside the village committee.

"These job descriptions are what I have collected on the street when I bike through the county. I wrote down job descriptions wherever I saw them in restaurants, shops and factories, brought them back and put up here. Villagers who have lost jobs as migrant workers under the economic downturn can apply for their interested vacancy. Take this one for example, I learned from a restaurant that they need a service staff, and would pay about 500 RMB as wage per month. I put up this information as well as the employer's requirements here. Moreover, I enclosed the most convenient transportation option, say, which bus can be taken to the restaurant."

Xiao Fu has been working in this village for months. He gradually realized a college-graduate village official's job is not only to fit into rural life, but also to bring about changes in rural areas.

"People are not very informative in village. They even had no idea which hospital they should go to when they fell ill. Therefore, we often search for information for them, as we are able to use the Internet. These villagers seldom even read the newspaper."

When looking for more job vacancies for those unemployed, he has got some ideas in mind to help villagers out.

"For the next step, I am about to help our villagers start their own business. We've already had several successful cases of breeding livestock and poultry in our village. But you know, for some villagers, they wouldn't think of that unless someone suggested it."

Working in villages is quite different, as Xiao Fu says, he must learn more about local customs. He would turn to seniors in the village committee for advice when he meets intractable issues or has a new idea.

At the courtyard of the village committee's head Song Wenzhang, Xiao Fu discuses his new idea of contacting an employment agency in the county, so that more villagers can get reemployed.

Xiao Fu says working in the village is not simply a job for him, but a career to develop.

"I like working in the village. I was born and grew up in village, so it's easy for me to communicate with them. I have decided to take it as my career. I think rural areas provide college graduate with a lot of opportunities to grow and thrive."

Since 2005, Chinese government has been encouraging graduates to work in villages of 28 provinces and regions, in hope of improving rural administration, as well as to create more jobs for graduates.

A deputy of China's top legislature, Yang Ming calls on preferential policies by the government to encourage college graduates settling in rural areas.

"We currently have 2.6 million university graduates. Hundreds of them failed to settle on a job upon graduation. Rural areas provide a wide range of opportunities. But many of them don't want to start their career in those areas. So our government should bring forward some privilege policies to encourage college graduate to work in rural areas. Those who have made great contribution on their job should enjoy the same welfare as public servant."

By the end of last October, 78,000 college graduates had been appointed as village officials in those provinces and regions.