Young and old building village's commerce

Youth force is invigorating Songjiang District's Dongxia Village, as the area's older and younger generations of villagers jointly build its agriculture, industry and service sectors.

A soda pop made from Songjiang rice recently entered the market. The beverage is also used to promote the integrated development of the agriculture, industry and service sectors of the village.

Chen Jian, its developer, is a post-80s villager who quit his well-paid job in downtown Shanghai and returned to Dongxia Village to be a rural e-commerce entrepreneur.

In 2015, Chen promoted a pickle brand to the top of its kind on China's online retailer JD.com, generating an annual sales volume of 20 million yuan (US$3.1 million). It struck him in 2019 that he could try to promote Songjiang rice to people nationwide.

"Relying on its clean water resources, Songjiang rice produced in Shihudang Town's Dongxia Village is of high quality. But farmers' sales channels are limited. The rice is sold at merely 3 yuan per kilogram," said Chen, who then headed for deeply processed rice products.

In 2020, he developed a new beverage using rice as the major ingredient. This year he developed a soda pop made from the rice. Meanwhile, an intellectual property called "Dang Li You Mi" (literally meaning "the lake area produces rice") was codeveloped with a service sector that introduces the area's water and farming cultures.

"Our daily capacity of the rice soda pop is 50,000 bottles, and we're preparing for market entry now," Chen said.

Chen Jie, another youth from Dongxia Village, joined hands with Chen Jian to launch a minsu (Chinese version of B&B) in the area's Shenjiabang scenic spot. Their project was also supported by Sierteng Group, a state-owned company focusing on rural revitalization. So far, the minsu's canteen has entered its decoration stage.

Constructing a co-working office in the village is also on the agenda of the company's rural revitalization blueprint. The space has recruited youth entrepreneur teams specializing in music, e-commerce and video production.

The village, since it opened to tourists last year, has received over 60,000 visitors.