INNOVATIVE MAN: Ge Rongzu, in Nancha Village, Gaotai County in Gansu Province, has invented a new type of wheat-straw curtain for greenhouses (GAO JIANJUN)

Cheng also encouraged villagers to begin more intensive livestock farming. He invited experts to instruct local farmers on advanced methods of breeding and raising pigs, cows, sheep, rabbits and poultry. He also distributed free brochures on cutting-edge animal raising techniques. As a result of his efforts, more and more villagers began to engage in animal husbandry. Now, the villagers' total annual revenue from livestock farming exceeds 4 million yuan ($615,000).

Due largely to Cheng's efforts, the village has also established its own fleet of trucks and vans to transport produce, and a mechanism has been set up to help surplus laborers in the village find jobs in other places.

Under these initiatives, villager's annual per-capita income increased from 1,600 yuan ($246) in 2008 to 5,300 yuan ($815) in 2011.

Since Cheng began working in Dongzhuang, he also worked to improve the village's physical infrastructure. Over the past three years, more than 5 km of roads in the village have been paved with cement, malfunctioning wells used for irrigation have been repaired or replaced with new wells, and electric transformers have been upgraded so that the village no longer suffers from frequent blackouts.

Business minded

Like Cheng, many graduates who become village officials have had a real impact and improved the lives of residents in the villages where they work.

To give full play to their role in boosting the rural economy, the government encourages graduates who become village officials to run businesses and provides them with financial support in the form of loan guarantees, discount loans and subsidies.

Across China, 5,916 college graduates-turned-village officials have set up independent businesses and 13,611 have opened joint businesses with other people.

Henan has set up a development fund for graduates who become village officials, providing them with financial assistance up to 100,000 yuan ($15.384) to run their start-up programs. It was with support from this fund that Cheng built his greenhouses.

Many other regions have also implemented policies supporting the business initiatives of college graduates-turned-village officials. Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province that has 1,239 graduates who become village officials, for example, has published 23 incentive policies for these officials.

Since 2010, the city has allocated 2 million yuan ($307,692) to provide discount loans, one-time business subsidies and risk deposits for start-up projects of college graduates-turned-village officials. Eight counties and districts in Kunming have set aside funding to support such projects and set up business incubators that offer preferential treatment including tax and rent reductions or waivers.

Kunming has also hosted a number of training programs, exhibitions and competitions for college graduates-turned-village officials. Statistics from the municipal government show that 32 college graduates-turned-village officials have invested more than 5 million yuan ($769,230) in 32 business projects, creating more than 200 job opportunities for local residents.

However only a relatively small percentage of college graduates-turned-village officials have actually succeeded in starting up businesses.

Shi Changxin, head of the Organization Department of the CPC Committee of Shangyu City, Zhejiang Province, said, "Some college graduates-turned-village officials think that their positions are only temporary, and hope to become civil servants or pursue graduate studies after the end of their terms, therefore they do not want to invest in long-term businesses."

A survey conducted by 54cunguan.com, a website dedicated to college graduates-turned-village officials, shows that only 20 percent of college graduates-turned-village officials chose to stay in office after completing their tenures, whereas 60 percent chose to take the national civil service recruitment exam.

Although most college graduates-turned-village officials' top choice is to become civil servants and work in public institutions, only a small percentage of them, fewer than 10 percent in Zhejiang, will eventually succeed in becoming civil servants. Many college graduates-turned-village officials believe that setting up a viable business is a good career alternative.

Beijing-based China Youth Daily suggested while the government should provide financial support to the business initiatives of college graduates-turned-village officials, the support should be selective and thresholds should be specified so that public funds will be used effectively.

Some scholars on rural development have also called on college graduates-turned-village officials to broaden their awareness of "businesses," and become more actively involved in non-profit organizations that help children left behind by rural migrant workers and engage in poverty reduction, disaster relief and other social initiatives.

Email us at: wanghairong@bjreview.com