More counties with professional functions emerge in China

In recent years, a large number of counties in China have harnessed their creativity to develop specialty industries, which has not only boosted their local economies, but has also prompted increasingly more rural residents to purchase houses in urban areas while young talents from the countryside went about building their career in the county seats.

A worker produces safety belts at a workshop of an enterprise in Lizhuang Township of Huimin County, east China's Shandong Province, May 21, 2022. (Photo/Xinhua)

A guideline on promoting the role of counties as important vehicles for promoting urbanization, which was jointly released by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council recently, pointed out that active efforts should be made to build counties with professional functions.

A county with professional functions will possess a characteristic industry, which is at the front rank nationwide. In this way, a specific county is able to noticeably drive development in rural areas and improve the development pattern of the region, according to Tong Zhihui, a professor at the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development and head of the rural governance research center at Renmin University.

Zhanhua county in Shandong Province is a famous planting base for winter jujubes in China. The winter jujube industry, which is a pillar industry in the locality, has continued expanding in recent years, and the variety of winter jujubes has meanwhile been enriched. In 2021, the total production volume of winter jujubes in Zhanhua reached 305 million kilograms, with the output value of the industry exceeding 4.5 billion yuan ($670 million).

The guideline also stated that support should be provided for counties with professional functions so that they can make better use of their resources and transportation advantages to develop their economy with local characteristics. By making these efforts, different local industries, including advanced manufacturing, commerce and trade, and culture and tourism, can become the calling cards of these counties.

By building their own characteristic industries, some counties have enabled rural residents to secure a job in their village, while establishing a balanced industrial structure, pushing forward the development of the public service sector, and strengthening these counties’ capabilities in the area of sustainable development.

An industrial park located inside an industrial cluster in Luyi county, central China’s Henan Province provides a space for manufacturing companies to turn raw materials into exquisite makeup brushes for renowned cosmetics brands.

According to official data, the park has attracted about 140 companies, which provide jobs for more than 50,000 local residents. The companies have been able to establish long-term partnerships with international brands, including L'Oréal and Estee Lauder.

Julu county in Xingtai city, north China’s Hebei Province is the largest honeysuckle planting base in China. Recently, honeysuckles have entered the harvest season in the county.

According to an estimate, the output value of honeysuckles in Julu has surpassed 2 billion yuan and the production of the plants accounts for more than 60 percent of the country’s total output value.

In recent years, Julu has accelerated the large-scale and standardized development of the honeysuckle industry while expanding the industrial chain and developing deep processing. It has invited and cultivated a number of leading deep-processing companies, which can process 1,000 tonnes of honeysuckles each year. These companies have developed more than 30 kinds of honeysuckle products, including honeysuckle tea and honeysuckle skincare products.

Li Genmao, a local farmer in Julu, got engaged in the honeysuckle planting business five years ago. Nowadays, the man has not only saved money, but bought a new car and an apartment in the county seat of Julu.

By cultivating counties with professional functions, it is hoped that these counties can become places where rural residents will live and work in peace and contentment, said Tong. “During a survey, we found that counties with sound industrial development also boast sound infrastructure and a higher level public service system,” he explained.