Rural areas are given a modern makeover

Zhu Shengxuan is going all out to find new ways to repurpose China's villages and entice more people to come back and live in the countryside. [Photo/China Daily]

An important social movement in China took place at the beginning of the 20th century when acclaimed scholar Liang Shuming called on fellow intellectuals to participate in the reform of rural areas stricken by extreme poverty after years of war.

As part of efforts to raise the quality of life in these areas, this group of scholars set up schools and came up with measures to improve agricultural farm technology. The movement continued for seven years until the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression started in 1937.

A century has since passed and some young intellectuals still hold onto a similar dream, though the movement has now taken on a new meaning－to preserve culture and heritage.

Zhu Shengxuan is one such supporter. Formerly a landscaping design consultant with Shanghai Expo, Zhu decided to exit the industry after a cancer operation in 2010 spurred him to rethink his life and career.

"I began to realize that the more landscapes I designed, the further away I got from the green fields," says the 40-year-old architect whose father is a farmer. "I can't leave my city life, but I can't give up countryside land either."

Though he has lived in Shanghai for more than 10 years, Zhu says that he still has a strong emotional connection to his village in Baoshan, Yunnan province. After recovering from his operation, Zhu decided to return to countryside in an attempt to lead a healthy lifestyle.