Youth revitalize Zhejiang's countryside

In Yaoli village in Huzhou's Nanxun district, Huang Binbin took a different path. A Peking University master's graduate, she chose not to remain in the city after obtaining her degree.

In May 2023, she led a young team to settle in the village, entering into an equity-based partnership with the village collective economic cooperative to take charge of its integrated operations project. At the time, many of the village's houses stood vacant and dilapidated. Huang and her team led the revitalization of 146 of them, using art programs and family activities to transform a hollowed-out village into a child-friendly art community.

However, acceptance came slowly. "During the first year or two, we still heard voices of doubt," Huang said. "Some believed that young people moving to villages was a waste of talent. Others thought that little could be achieved at the grassroots level."

The turning point came when villagers, along with young Yaoli natives living elsewhere, began speaking up for the team, pointing to dedication, rather than a need for publicity, as their primary motivation. "Through building these relationships, we gradually came to realize that we were accepted, embraced, and recognized," Huang said.

In Anji's Yinkeng village, history is being brought back to life by hand. Zhuolonggong, a cultural heritage preservation team whose members are 24.5 years old on average, put down roots in the village in 2025 under founder and creative director Zhao Yuanling.

The team specializes in ancient weapons, archaeological research and restoration work. Working faithfully from original relics, its members have produced replicas of first-class national cultural relics, including jade-fitted swords from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) and gem-inlaid knives from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), using traditional techniques such as inlay and lacquer work.

"Many people think making swords is solely the work of a swordsmith, but that's not true," Zhao said. "The swordsmith only crafts the blade itself. There must also be craftsmen for handles and scabbards, including carpenters and metal workers, who create the fittings and decorations for swords and knives. Lacquer artisans aesthetically refine the scabbards."

The task of making a sword, he said, is a comprehensive craft that no one person can accomplish alone.

"That is why I assembled a team. And Anji is a perfect fit for us. Our work often keeps us up late into the night, and it is common for us to spend hours hammering and crafting after dark. In cities, that could easily disturb the neighbors, but in Anji, it is never an issue."