Back to basics

Ji Xiaoxiang (front) and Yang Mohan, the owners of Da Le Zhi Ye. [Photo/China Daily]

"The people here aren't as sophisticated and I like the simplicity. However, this sometimes also causes problems, like people not respecting contractual agreements," he says.

Wang Zehao, who had quit his job as a software engineer in Ningbo, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, and returned to his hometown in Deqing county about four years ago, can testify to just how quickly the village landscape is changing.

"Much has changed since 2010. Many investors have in recent times come to build organic farms while architects and interior designers too are flocking here to renovate village houses. Villages here now offer many job positions," says the 30-year-old who now works as a butler. "Here in Deqing I can live with my family and I'm actually earning more than I did in the city."

Wang says that he aims to do more to promote his hometown to outsiders.

"My boss and I plan to build a brand to sell agricultural products such as eggs, chickens and bamboo shoots," he says.

"I think people from the big cities will like our local taste."