Expats explore China's rural vitalization in Jinyun county

A group of students, scholars, professors, journalists and artists from different countries visits Jinyun county. [Photo by Fan Jianxin/Farmers' Daily]

Tungamirai Eric Mupona, a Zimbabwean doctoral student at Zhejiang University – located in Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang province – has a dream of bringing China's rural vitalization experience to his homeland and inviting more people to see China.

Mupona, who studies international affairs and global governance, grew up in a rural area and has a strong attachment to the countryside.

He's been in China for six or seven years and has visited many rural areas in provinces such as Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Guangdong and Jiangsu – where he learned about farming, cooperatives and rural development models.

To fulfill his dream, he initiated a 10-day cross-cultural dialogue event in Jinyun county, Lishui city, Zhejiang province, with the support of Zhao Yuezhi, a humanities lecturer at Tsinghua University and the executive director of the Heyang Rural Research Institute.

The event, themed on "Global to Village: China-Zimbabwe Jinyun Transcultural Dialogues", attracted 10 Zimbabwean scholars and journalists from various fields and levels. There were also more than 30 participants from China, the United States, Canada and other countries – including master's and doctorate degree students, academics, professors, journalists and artists.

The participants visited several sites in Jinyun that reflect its rich culture, history and development. They saw ancient dwellings in Heyang town, pottery art in Huzhen town, grape cultivation in Dongli village and wall paintings in Shangxiaoxi village.

They also attended lectures, seminars and dialogues on topics such as rural vitalization, cultural exchange, media cooperation and global governance.

The event aimed to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation between China and Zimbabwe, as well as other countries, in the fields of rural development and culture. It also provided a platform for academic exchanges and social interaction between the participants.