Forum delegates impressed by the tech-driven rural development of Beijing’s Pinggu district

Lebogang Botsheleng, acting deputy director-general for Food Security and Agrarian Reform at South Africa's National Department of Agriculture, said the village demonstrated how agriculture could be combined with other industries to create new opportunities for rural development.

"It was a beautiful example of integration. I saw elements that are typically associated with rural areas combined with facilities and services that you would normally expect in urban settings," she said, adding that other countries could gradually adopt the model of linking agriculture and tourism.