Driverless harvesters reap wheat on a farmland at the Yangping Smart Agriculture Demonstration Zone in Jishan County, Shanxi Province, on June 10. Photo: IC PHOTO

The rural revitalization strategy, a crucial component of Chinese modernization, has entered a pivotal stage during the 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP) period (2021–25), characterized by systematic deepening and a dual focus on quality and efficiency. The 14th FYP explicitly stresses prioritizing the development of agriculture and rural areas to advance rural revitalization across the board. Under this strategic guidance, rural development in China has undergone a profound transformation over the past five years—shifting from isolated breakthroughs to integrated regional development, from traditional industrial upgrades to the cultivation of new quality productive forces, and from a focus on infrastructure construction to the modernization of governance capacity.

Notable advances in countryside

From the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, when the rural revitalization strategy was first proposed, to the 2018 No. 1 Central Document—the 20th such policy guideline on agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents since the launch of reform and opening up, titled “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Implementing the Rural Revitalization Strategy”—and then to the enactment of the Law on the Promotion of Rural Revitalization in 2021, implementation has become increasingly systematic, standardized, and law-based. With top-level design, systematic planning, and scientific deployment from the government, the 14th FYP period has seen significant achievements in rural revitalization, providing a solid strategic foundation for advancing Chinese modernization in all respects.

Across the vast rural landscape, a vivid panorama of strong agriculture, beautiful villages, and prosperous farmers is steadily taking shape. In live-streams, strawberries still glistening with morning dew travel straight from greenhouses to urban dining tables. Drones glide over wheat fields to monitor crops in real time. At night, cultural halls glow brightly, while roaring cheers from “Village Super League” and “Village Basketball Association” rise and fall in waves. Behind these vivid scenes lies a profound transformation in agricultural production methods, governance models, and social structures.

He Lilong, a professor of economics at Sichuan University, observes that the core breakthroughs in rural industrial revitalization during the 14th FYP period lie in using technology to reshape production paradigms and enhancing value through full-chain integration. Smart agriculture is taking root at speed: Drone seeding, Internet of Things monitoring, gene breeding, and microbial fertilizers are driving down production costs; low-carbon agriculture, photovoltaic farming, and biomass energy are thriving. Digital infrastructure now extends to county levels, with 5G networks and big data centers providing the foundation for smart farms and product traceability, helping green, high-quality agricultural products stand out in a competitive market.

Narrowing urban-rural gaps

Figures show that in 2024, leisure agriculture generated nearly 900 billion yuan (about $125.4 billion) in revenue. The integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism has spawned diverse new experiences—from camping and study tours to health and wellness retreats. This growth reflects strong state leadership: During the 14th FYP, rural revitalization has become a core national agenda aligned with the pace of modernization.

Ye Jingzhong, a professor from the College of Humanities and Development Studies at China Agricultural University, noted that in the past, rural areas were often relegated to a secondary position in development discussions, while urban development typically took precedence. Today, however, rural development has been accorded equal significance to urban growth, emerging as a key driver of comprehensive societal progress.

Achievements in this period are also evident in upgraded rural infrastructure. There has been a functional leap from basic connectivity to coordinated networks of tourism, resource, and industrial roads, alongside a systematic upgrade of living environments from “cleaning up dirt and disorder” to strengthening “ecological livability.” Data indicates that by early 2025, rural tap water coverage had reached 94%, with large-scale water supply projects serving 65% of rural residents.

At the same time, education and healthcare access has expanded rapidly in rural areas: County-level medical networks ensure villagers can receive treatment for minor ailments without leaving their villages and for major illnesses without leaving the county, while county-managed teacher employment reforms have given rural children fairer access to education.

In the first half of 2025 alone, medical assistance programs supported 673 million visits for low-income rural residents. With universal internet access and streamlined logistics, even remote mountain villages are now connected to the wider world, steadily narrowing the urban–rural living standards gap.

Innovative governance, thriving ecology

Rural revitalization is inseparable from governance. During the 14th FYP, rural governance modernization has shifted from government-led approaches to multi-stakeholder co-governance, and from reliance on external support to fostering internal momentum—with Party-building as the core driving force.

Zhang Qi, director of the China Institute for Poverty Reduction at Beijing Normal University, pointed out that during the 14th FYP period, primary-level Party organizations have been embedded in every segment of rural industrial chains. This has not only transformed cooperatives into “red workshops” but also empowered villagers to take ownership through initiatives like “courtyard meetings” and “discussions under the big tree.”

Innovative practices such as villagers’ councils, ethics review committees, point-based incentive systems, and task lists have encouraged active participation in village affairs and decision making, turning “village matters” into “family matters.” Rural governance has evolved from “cadres performing solo” to “cadres and villagers in chorus,” significantly improving governance effectiveness.

Rural revitalization also flourishes through ecological stewardship. Today, mountains are greener and waters clearer. In his field research, He Lilong found that many regions during the 14th FYP harnessed their ecological strengths to establish green, low-carbon agricultural systems that span production, processing, and consumption. They pioneered an “ecology + agri-tourism” model, complimented by green infrastructure such as biomass energy, to cultivate green industrial clusters and eco-economic demonstration zones.

“These efforts not only preserve the lucid waters and lush mountains while retaining rural nostalgia, but also continuously transform ecological value into economic prosperity,” He Lilong affirmed.

The year 2025 marks the conclusion of the 14th FYP. As the 15th FYP (2025–30) approaches, rural revitalization will enter a new phase. The next five years represent a critical transitional period, with core tasks aimed at deepening agricultural and rural reforms to achieve the synchronized modernization of agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents, thereby advancing rural revitalization across the board.