Villager's success comes faster than snail's pace

An enterprising government official in East China has found that raising an often overlooked member of the animal kingdom can lead to tangible economic benefits.

"My little girls have a good appetite for vegetables," Cong Gang of Xinhong village, Jiangsu province, wrote on WeChat.

He was not talking about his daughters, but his collection of chubby jade snails, which can be harvested for food, drugs and cosmetics. He runs both online and offline businesses selling the gastropods in frozen states. Cong has seen many young people in his village heading to big cities for better work opportunities, leaving the village empty.