CRI听力:Urban and Rural Integration in China Accelerates

Zhang Jinyong used to work far from his hometown. Like other people who work in big cities, he was only able to return home once a year during the Spring Festival period. But now, Zhang can spend more time with his wife and child. His parents can help him take care of family chores, plus, he enjoys salary raise. This is because of his decision to go back to his hometown Daduo, in Jiangsu province, to find work.

"Working outside is not as good as settling down in one's hometown. But in the past, my hometown didn't have a factory. I couldn't get a job. The only option was to find jobs in other places. But now I am back. I have a job. I don't need to worry about where to live. All I need is to buy a car. You could say that I am well-off, right?"

Zhang's studied electrical mechanics at university but he was unable find a job in his hometown after graduating. However, last year, a packing material factory with capital investment of 400 million yuan opened in his hometown of Daduo.

To maintain the sustainable progress of the integration of urban and rural areas, in recent years, the central government and local governments have attached importance to developing a number of specific industries.

In Zhang's hometown of Daduo, industries such as clothes processing, machine manufacturing and agricultural product processing are gradually booming.

Three years ago, more than 30 thousand Daduo town residents opted to go to other provinces to find work. But now many of them have returned. In those industries which have recently been developed within the town, more than 16 thousand local residents have found employment.

Wan Shu is the HR manager of a packing material company in Daduo.

"From January 1 of this year up to now, about two to three hundred people applied to work in our factory. About 60 to 70 were recruited. Most of them are experienced workers. More than 90 percent of workers in our factory are local people."

Last year, more than 120 thousand college graduates chose to go back home to find work in Jiangsu Province.

Zhang Haohan is a professor at the Academy of Social Sciences in Jiangsu Province.

"Many less developed rural areas have developed service, processing and manufacturing industries. They have demand for a new labor force, especially young and skilled workers. This is a natural phenomenon in history. It's also a reflection of a growing rural economy."

Zhang Haohan says that with the diversification of industry, there will be more demand for capable and skilled labor in previously less developed areas.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.