Feature: ROK entrepreneur enthralled by rural China's vitality

Seo Gangsu (R) promotes strawberry with a villager in Dajiao Township of Jiangxian County, north China's Shanxi Province, March 2, 2024. (Xinhua)

TAIYUAN, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Following a recent visit to Dajiao Township in Jiangxian County, located in north China's Shanxi Province, Seo Gangsu from the Republic of Korea (ROK) was astonished by the wide range of strawberry varieties cultivated by local farmers.

"There are over a dozen varieties of delicious strawberries here, and I've tried them all. I'm eager to see how they compare to those in my country," he said.

Hailing from Suncheon City in southern ROK, Seo first arrived in China at the age of 18 to study Chinese. He later obtained his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Beijing Normal University.

After studying in China for a decade, Seo decided to stay and pursue his dreams in the country. He later married a Chinese woman and currently runs a cosmetics company and a childcare institution.

"Although I've been in China for many years, I rarely had a chance to explore the vast rural areas," he said, adding that rural areas are often stereotyped as dilapidated and run-down places but his recent visit completely changed his perspective.

Apart from the thriving strawberry industry, Seo also visited modern residential communities, livestreaming e-commerce hubs and herbal tea factories.

He stopped by a residential community called Xingfu where he learned that the residents were relocated from uninhabitable regions eight years ago through the country's nationwide poverty alleviation campaign. Life in their previous villages was very hard. People lived in caves, navigated challenging mountain terrain, and endured harsh weather conditions with limited access to essential services like schools and clinics.

Thanks to an array of poverty alleviation policies, more than 100 households from uninhabitable villages were resettled in the new residential community in 2016.

"The entire village is clean, tidy and very modern," Seo said, noting that many residents here are engaged in e-commerce activities, selling agricultural products online, which has generated employment opportunities.

"It reminds me of an old Chinese proverb that goes: give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," Seo said.

Following this visit to rural China, Seo said he can conclude that many Chinese villages boast unique characteristics, stories and distinctive industries.

"In the future, we can capitalize on the country's favorable policies, along with leveraging experiences from the ROK, to further boost the revitalization of rural China," he said.