Reality show brings global attention to China's evolving countryside

CHANGSHA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The morning mist had barely lifted from the rice paddies when Malaysian student Au Bor Chuen picked up a hoe and joined a villager in central China's Hunan Province for a rewarding day of farm work.

For the 26-year-old student, this village named Xiangfeng is idyllic and astonishingly modernized. This was not the rural China often imagined by outsiders, but rather a vibrant countryside where traditional hand tools harmoniously blend with cutting-edge digital platforms. Here, agriculture thrives on a foundation of data, e-commerce, and 5G connectivity, alongside the age-old practices of hard work and tradition.

"I think China's rural development has managed to preserve its roots while keeping pace with the times," said Au, reflecting on his experience filming the reality show "From far lands to China's farmland."

The second season of the show, which concluded in April, has drawn attention at home and abroad. Since its release in February on platforms such as Mango TV and Douyin, and overseas via YouTube and TikTok, it has amassed hundreds of millions of views, showing a growing global curiosity about China's countryside.

Poverty and underdevelopment were once a hallmark of China's countryside, but this perception is fast retreating into memory, thanks to the national poverty alleviation campaign and the ongoing rural revitalization drive.

Against that backdrop, the show invited seven young people from countries including the United States, Germany, Malaysia and Ghana to live in the village for four months.

There, they worked alongside local residents, taking part in farm labor, redesigning idle rural homes and helping map out development plans for the village.

What struck Au most was the coexistence of tradition and technology. "The most fascinating part of China's countryside is how farming traditions and modern technology exist side by side."

For many, the journey was equally transformative. Hinkens Martin Julius, a German entrepreneur now residing in Chongqing with his Chinese wife, found echoes of community spirit in rural life.

Fluent in Mandarin and fond of Chinese songs, he often broke into renditions of "Unity is Strength," a classic Chinese song, while working in the fields. "What I've seen is that rural revitalization is not driven by individuals, but by collective effort," he said. "That's the real strength behind these changes."

The show's challenges go beyond manual labor. Participants were tasked with transforming abandoned farmhouses into an internet sensation, complete with viable business models. The goal was not just renovation, but sustainable rural entrepreneurship, turning space into industry.

According to producer Gan Qiong, who has extensive experience in international cultural exchange programs, the idea was to present a rural China through the eyes of "international new farmers."

By living, working and starting businesses alongside villagers, the participants offered a cross-cultural perspective on rural modernization, she said.

This format has played a big part in confronting and reshaping stereotypes about rural China. Online comments from overseas viewers suggest that many were surprised by the vitality and sophistication of rural China. Some even expressed interest in applying similar ideas back home.

China's rural revitalization strategy aims to achieve basic modernization of agriculture and rural areas by 2035.

In recent years, the fast-modernizing countryside has drawn both urban people, some of whom have opted to retire in villages, and a growing number of international tourists who are venturing outside of China's major cities.

China's rural tourism is gaining international acclaim. Four Chinese villages were listed in the UN Tourism's 2025 edition of "Best Tourism Villages" in October 2025, bringing the total number of Chinese villages honored to 19.

The recognition of China's rural destinations attests to the exemplary work of China's rural tourism industry, and to global acclaim for the drastic changes taking place in rural China, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Though the cameras have stopped, the connections forged in Xiangfeng and the appeal of a revitalized rural China endure. Au and fellow participant Liliana Diasamidze from Georgia now plan to return after graduation to build themed courtyards featuring their respective cultures.

"We want to bring global ideas into the Chinese countryside," Au said, "and let this story of friendship and rural revitalization continue."