More than 350 of the 451 households in Zhongnan village have moved into new houses built by the Zhongnan Group. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Changle town, Haimen district, Nantong -- was reputedly the hometown of Zhang Jian, the leading social reformer and industrial entrepreneur in the early 20th century, and its villagers are said to have inherited his nous for industrial development to boost their local rural revitalization, local media recently reported.

Each of villages in the town earned reportedly more than 1 million yuan ($153,292) in revenue in 2020, according to Gu Chuang, Party chief of the town.

In Zhongnan village, the smallest in Changle which covers only 1.2 square kilometers, residents earn a living mainly by working for the Zhongnan Group, a leading construction company in Nantong, according to Qu Qingyi, deputy Party chief of the village.

The group has its headquarters and four subsidiaries based in the village, offering jobs to about one third of the local labor force.

The group has also upgraded greenhouses in the village, with some run by the village and others set up gratis for residents keen on doing their own farming.

Villager Shi Jianzhong and his wife received 16 greenhouses covering an area of some 6,000 square meters. Last year, the couple earned more than 200,000 yuan by planting melons and vegetables in them.

Another village -- named Yisheng after the brewery founded by Zhang Jian in 1894 -- has given full play to local features and resources connected with Zhang to develop its tourism industry.

In addition to a variety of rural scenic spots, including the former site of the brewery, the village has cooperated with Zhongnan Group to build a town themed on Zhang Jian, the first phase of which will open in the second half of this year.

The villagers have also been developing homestay hotels and producing home-made rice wines, generating 5,000 to 6,000 yuan in monthly income per person.

Both villages have been included in the 2021 list of demonstration villages for rural revitalization in Nantong.