Villagers return as breeding industry thrives

The village of Zhaonao used to be one of thousands in China that were full of "empty nests", with many young people moving out to make a living in towns and cities.

Development of the crawfish-breeding industry, however, has made Zhaonao, in Hubei province, bustle again with many villagers returning.

When the village set up an agricultural cooperative to run more than 700 hectares of farmland in 2013, only 50 of the village's more than 600 households wanted to work for it, said Zhao Changhong, the village head.