Zhejiang embraces prosperity drive

Job creation

Local policies not only attract business starters with innovative ideas, but also lure regular young workers.

Qiu Lei, a native of Qingshanwu village in Zhejiang's Tonglu county, has returned to his hometown to work as a manager at a small high-end hotel.

The 26-year-old is happy with the monthly salary of about 5,000 yuan, plus the annual bonus he receives at end of the year.

The hotel has 13 rooms, each costing about 1,500 to 2,000 yuan per night. Qiu's clients are mostly people from the prosperous Yangtze River Delta region, who like to enjoy quiet weekends in the countryside.

"I was born and raised here (in the Anji countryside) and I am happy to stay here to enjoy a quiet, calm life," he said, noting that the satisfactory income has encouraged him to stay.

The tourism boom in the Zhejiang countryside has offered more young people opportunities to find jobs with decent incomes. That is encouraging them to live and work in the rural areas, injecting new life and helping to achieve the goal of common prosperity.

When cities are not the only alternative for young people and country life becomes an option, it demonstrates that the gap between rural and urban areas has been further reduced, thus boosting common prosperity.