Youth revitalize Zhejiang's countryside

Halfway up a mountainside in Hanggai town, Anji county in Zhejiang province, the buzz of an approaching drone often arrives before the aircraft, carrying several cups of milk tea, comes into view.

In most sightings, the drone belongs to A2Z Drone Delivery, a cutting edge drone technology provider carrying out test flights in the countryside of Huzhou in Zhejiang. The city has long been a pioneer of rural entrepreneurship, drawing young entrepreneurs to establish homestays, cafes, and cultural tourism projects. This enterprising wave has entered a new stage, expanding into sectors including technology, culture, and business services.

Aaron Zhang, founder and CEO of A2Z Drone Delivery, is a Chinese American born in the 1990s who graduated from Brown University in the United States and later worked on drone research and development in Shanghai before founding the drone startup in Los Angeles, California.

"Back in Shanghai, like Los Angeles, flight restrictions in urban areas meant that even after tuning our drones in the office, we still had to drive for more than an hour to the outskirts of the city for test flights," Zhang said. "In Anji, however, we can finish debugging the equipment in the office and simply step outside to begin a test flight at any time."

He established the company's Ground Zero Test Facility in the mountains of Anji in 2023, where forests and reservoirs serve as natural testing grounds. Food delivery is the least remarkable task these drones perform. They patrol rivers, carry out mountain search-and-rescue missions and recharge autonomously at aerial docking stations. The company has expanded into last-mile delivery, industrial logistics, maritime transport, and emergency rescue, and holds multiple utility patents in China, Europe and the US.

"The mature solutions tested here can be operated overseas," Zhang said. "Back in Los Angeles, the team and I stay close to our customers and make sure we serve their every need. We also exhibit at the commercial drone exhibition in Las Vegas every year. We are also working with our international partners in Kazakhstan, Jordan and Singapore to operate drone delivery projects."