Digitalization has emerged as a new engine fueling rural development in Changxing county in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

On such example is the smart sheep farm located in Changxing's Lyushan township. Information related to the farm, including sheep number, temperature, humidity, and ventilation, can be retrieved via a digital platform, according to Sun Kaikai, a local official.

In addition, each of the farm's sheep has been marked with a QR code on the ear in an effort to improve quality and production efficiency.

This year, Changxing plans to build three additional digital plants and to seek digital transformation in nine planting/breeding bases, according to Ning Ligen, head of the e-commerce department of the Changxing bureau of agriculture and rural areas.

The county's characteristic agricultural industry is projected to reach 1.2 million mu (80,000 hectares), Ning said.

Farmers have been benefiting greatly from the county's drive for digitalization reform.

The local government launched the local public agricultural brand "Changxingxian" to further improve the profile and competitiveness of local agricultural products.

Products selling on the brand's flagship store are all labeled with a QR code, by scanning which relevant information like the place of origin can be obtained.

Mo Guofeng, who runs a vegetable cooperative in Changcheng village, Heping town, said that the cooperative has seen notable growth in sales after being authorized to use the brand.

According to Mo, their sales exceeded 2 million yuan ($307,692) in 2020, with the product price increasing by over 20 percent year-on-year.

In the first half of this year, the total e-commerce sales volume in Changxing's rural areas amounted to 2.3 billion yuan, among which the online retail sales of agricultural products reached 920 million yuan.