Rural entrepreneurship gains momentum with a strong start in Q1

Workers at a start-up workshop assemble stools. [Photo by Liang Shaoting for chinadaily.com.cn]

In Maji village, Maji town, Dingtao district, Heze city, Shandong province, a start-up workshop was bustling with activity. After a series of processes, including assembly, packaging and scanning QR codes, a set of exquisite "internet-famous products" such as shoe-changing stools, dining chairs, and small sofas were distributed.

"After the Spring Festival holiday, our orders have skyrocketed, and now we are booked until May. Our workshop mainly produces wooden and fabric home furnishings, which are sold nationwide through e-commerce. We expect the turnover in the first quarter to be around 1.2 million yuan ($166,683). At full capacity, we can employ 50 people. A strong start to the first quarter is already a certainty," said Li Xin, who runs the workshop.

Since 2024, in order to promote the development of start-up workshops, Maji town has held two returnee and local talent symposiums, as well as two special recruitment fairs, supplementing 52 people for nine start-up workshops.

In recent years, Maji town has introduced a series of policies to support returning entrepreneurs, including the integration of old factory buildings, the transfer of dilapidated courtyards, and the revitalization of 186 vacant areas. This has led to the introduction of 42 projects and the establishment of 37 entrepreneurial workshops, sparking a new wave of returning entrepreneurs from outside the town. (Edited by Huang Junyao)