Homesickness lingers always

云南 罗子来

Zhao Quankang was thrilled when Yanta Village was named a beautiful leisure location by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

“It proves I made the right decision to come back,”says the 25-year-old,who was born and grew up in the village that sits in the county-level city Anning,under the jurisdiction of Kunming,capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Yanta is one of more than 250 beautiful leisure villages.It is home to a population of about 1,100 villagers and boasts numerous pear orchards and an ancient temple.It has maintained most of its historical features.

Zhao had been paying close attention to the status of his home.“During my childhood,Yanta Village was very poor,”Zhao recalls.“The condition of the houses was wretched,and villagers relied on horses and tractors for transportation.”

As soon as he graduated from Xi'an Aeronautical Institute in Shaanxi Province,Zhao left to seek job opportunities in first-tier cities,including Beijing,Shanghai and Guangdong Province.“However,I began to feel nostalgic and had always fancied trying to do something for the development of my hometown,”Zhao says.

Experts from China Agricultural University moved in and started offering guidance.It was part of the local authority's efforts to transform Yanta into a rural getaway and improve the lives of local villagers.

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Why did Zhao return to his hometown from first-tier cities?