Kids ride scooters in a future village in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

Quzhou in East China's Zhejiang province has over the past few years been exploring effective means of building future villages as part of efforts to achieve common prosperity. 

For example, authorities had in 2019 unveiled a plan to develop a 280-kilometer landscape belt that would connect future villages together and improve the living environment in villages.

Future villages – new innovative residential clusters that feature an eco-friendly and digitalized rural lifestyle – are considered a key element in Quzhou's common prosperity drive.

Authorities have implemented a series of measures, such as taking advantage of local resources and cultures to bolster rural tourism as well as integrating nearby villages' resources to develop the collective economy.

For instance, Kecheng district's Yudong village, which is best known for its farmers' paintings, has been leveraging its cultural resources to develop the culture and tourism industry.

The village, which is currently home to more than 300 painters, had a combined annual output value of 30 million yuan ($4.22 million) and a per capita disposable income of 40,300 yuan in 2021.

Fengshi village in Jiangshan, a county-level city in Quzhou, has joined 17 other villages to open a sheep farm where Mongolian yurts have been set up and activities such as kite festivals and music festivals held regularly.

In addition, authorities have used advanced technologies to improve rural governance and provide better public services for education, healthcare, elderly and children care.

Smart equipment like intelligent locks and face recognition devices have also been installed in rural homestays to provide better experiences to visitors.

Quzhou's experience of building future villages has been replicated and promoted across the province.