Villagers in East China's Jiangxi province have seen positive changes in the standard of living, infrastructure development, the economy and education thanks to the provincial government’s continuous efforts to step up rural vitalization in recent years.

Earlier this year, Jiangxi released a three-year action plan to promote the construction of digital agriculture and countrysides, noting that the province will set up 100 agricultural demonstration bases for the development of the internet of things and accelerate the development of rural e-commerce to promote its agricultural sector’s digital development.

At the smart farm in Jiangxiang town, Nanchang county, workers at the Datian rural cooperative have started to use unmanned rotary cultivators to plough. The rapid development of mechanization has greatly reduced costs for farmers, and more and more farmers have been liberated from their own land to make more money from other fields.

“These unmanned rotary cultivators are supported by Beidou Navigation Satellite System, enabling smart agricultural machinery to utilize real-time data transmission,” said Zou Taihui, head of the Nanchang Zhihui Datian Agricultural Technology Development Company.

Jiangxi has also attached great importance to advancing rural vitalization on all fronts, aiming to improve people's well-being and the rural living environment.

“The construction of a new countryside has improved the living environment. Our village is now a beautiful, prosperous and harmonious place,” according to Wan Jiahao, a villager in Wanjia village, Youlan town, Nanchang county, who used to work out of the village for decades.

He returned to his hometown and started his own business in 2016, and tasted success after setting up a gardening company, which currently has an annual output value of 60 million yuan ($8.88 million).

Jiangxi has also advanced rural vitalization by promoting the development of distinctive local industries. Farmers in Tantou village, Ganzhou city have adapted to local conditions, and developed industries including selenium-enriched agricultural products, and rural homestays, which have become new growth drivers for increasing locals' incomes.