Left-behind women work at a factory set up by Tu Guangyong in Xinxian County, central China's Henan Province. (Photo/Xinhua)
For decades, China's rural residents have rushed to big cities to improve their earnings, but today more are skipping the trouble of travel and homesickness to make money at home.
The central government on Tuesday released a set of guidelines to encourage rural residents to pursue entrepreneurship and innovation.
According to a State Council document, the government will roll out policies to encourage migrant workers to start businesses in the countryside to help rural economic development.
Inside a four-story building in impoverished Xinxian County in central China's Henan Province, at least 100 women were working to assemble electronic products.
The factory, set up by 46-year-old Tu Guangyong, employs over 300 "left behind" women whose migrant worker husbands have left them to care for the children and elderly at home.
In 1991, Tu started working as a janitor at a factory in the southern province of Guangdong, known as the "world's factory." He was a quick learner and soon was promoted to a manager position.
He resigned and went back home in 2010, taking along with him the management and marketing skills he had learned in Guangdong.
"It was getting more difficult and expensive to hire workers in Guangdong. Women in my hometown could provide precious labor resources," said Tu. "It was time for me to go back home and start a factory."
Tu opened three factories near schools. Workers can choose to work between four and eight hours per day, making sure they have enough time for their children who are studying next door.
Thanks to low costs and good quality, Tu's products have been well received at home and abroad.
Tu is just one of the two million migrant workers who have returned home to become self-employed in new businesses including large-scale farming, farm produce processing, rural tourism, and producer and consumer services.
Returned migrant workers are expected to inject new energy into the rural economy by introducing modern technology, systems and management skills to the countryside.
Still, many challenges need to be overcome in order for migrant workers to return home, stay and thrive.
"Costs and risks may soar considering the underdeveloped infrastructure, lack of supporting policies and capable employees in rural areas," said Cui Chuanyi, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council.
Cui said the newly released guidelines have emphasized equality and support by rolling out measures such as easing market access, improving rural financial services, increasing fiscal support, providing training in entrepreneurship and innovation and perfecting the social safety net.
In Guangshan County, located next to Xinxian, Xiang Manyu started a company to produce and sell down- and feather-filled products, with annual sales exceeding 10 million yuan (1.45 million U.S. dollars) in recent years.
"The local government granted me favorable land, taxes and free office space -- policies that had only been available to foreign investment," Xiang said.
"In just two decades, rural residents migrated from villages to cities, and now some of them have moved from cities back to villages. Promising policies will allow more and more workers to lead a better life at home," said Xia Zhuzhi, a professor of rural governance at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
