On Chinese New Year's Eve, Zhao Jianjun, secretary of the general Party branch in Shangying village, Dongbaihu town, Zhuji city in east China's Zhejiang Province, carried a plastic bag containing more than 50,000 yuan (about $7,235) in cash—the proceeds from agricultural products he had helped local farmers sell through livestream commerce over the past year—and distributed the money to villagers.

In early 2020, Zhao was running a business in Yiwu, a city in Zhejiang. Before that, he had spent nearly four years trading small commodities in Botswana, Africa. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he returned to Shangying village as a Party member to help man village checkpoints. His dedication and performance drew attention, and later that year, when village elections were held, he was chosen as secretary of the general Party branch.

At 30, Zhao left behind a comfortable business career to put down roots in his hometown, determined to lead his village toward prosperity.

By 2022, he had delivered on his promise to build roads. In the same year, he helped establish a community canteen where elderly residents could enjoy daily meals at little or no cost.

Zhuang Yuan (right) promotes local agricultural products during a livestreaming session. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

The next chapter of his work began with a chance encounter. While scrolling through a short video platform, Zhao discovered clips posted by Zhuang Yuan, a young man who had returned to the countryside and built a modest following by using short videos to help farmers sell their produce. Shangying village, rich in tea and Chinese torreya nuts, had long struggled with poor road connections, which left many harvests unsold. Zhao reached out and invited Zhuang to visit the village.

In 2023, Zhuang was employed as the village CEO. The two, both born in the 1990s, quickly formed a strong partnership. Together, they established a company, registered a trademark, and launched an e-commerce service center—the village's first digital channel to bring mountain products to market. Zhuang contributed not only fresh ideas but also an existing network, connecting the village with partners including the Zhuji Snack Industry Association, the Zhuji Nut and Toasted Goods Association, and the Agricultural Maker Development Association, opening far broader sales channels for local farmers.

Their work aligned with a broader policy push. In September 2022, Zhejiang Province issued guidelines to promote common prosperity workshops—a key initiative to build a demonstration zone for achieving common prosperity through high-quality development. The model integrates village collectives, enterprises, and farmers, offering platforms for rural production, employment support, skills training, and industrial development, aiming to increase farmer incomes, improve business returns, and strengthen village finances.

Zhao and Zhuang seized the opportunity, establishing the village's common prosperity workshop. "A group of young people came to this remote mountain village to fulfill a dream of rural revitalization," Zhao said.

A former banquet hall was transformed into a tea processing facility within the workshop. In its first year of operation in 2025, the tea production line generated nearly 500,000 yuan in output, providing local villagers with work in tea picking and processing close to home.

Last October, the village's workshop was selected as a provincial model for common prosperity workshops utilizing livestream e-commerce.

For Zhao, five years of perseverance have also brought personal recognition. He served as a torchbearer at the 19th Asian Games in the provincial capital Hangzhou and received multiple honors, including recognition as an outstanding figure in the protection and development of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems in China, and provincial-level titles including a young pioneer in rural revitalization and common prosperity, a leader in rural industrial revitalization, and an outstanding village Party secretary.

Compared with five years ago, the village collective's income has more than doubled, and the village is attracting more young people to contribute to its development.