More than 200,000 young people have moved to rural areas in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, for employment or entrepreneurship over the past three years, becoming an increasingly visible part of the city's rural development.

Since the beginning of this year, 1,856 youth entrepreneurship projects have been introduced. Huzhou has also developed 19 key sites under a citywide framework designed to coordinate youth entrepreneurship across its districts and counties.

The city is also broadening opportunities beyond agricultural and cultural businesses to technology and commerce.

In Xilong township, Anji county, Li Yanyi from Shanghai has developed businesses around Anji Baicha, a type of green tea. A former factory has been converted into a digital nomad community that has attracted more than 10,000 young people, while the One Leaf Tea Drink venue — a popular attraction offering tea-based drinks and sweeping views of the vast expanse of tea fields through its floor-to-ceiling windows — receives more than 1 million visits annually.

Huzhou has also introduced a digital service platform and community mechanisms to support young people moving to rural areas.

A local regulation promoting youth development in rural areas took effect on May 20, providing a legal framework for the city's efforts to attract and support young people seeking employment and entrepreneurship opportunities outside urban centers.