Hefei, Anhui Blazes a Unique Path for Rural Revitalization with Technology and Industry Integration

Across the Jianghuai Plain, the picture of rural revitalization is unfolding gradually. From smart breeding laboratories to the idyllic scenery of beautiful and harmonious villages, and to the fragrant rice noodle processing workshops, Hefei is forging a distinctive rural revitalization path featuring a provincial capital city, driven by technological innovation, taking industrial integration as the route and aiming at livability and employment, according to Anhui Daily. Recently, the Publicity Department of Anhui Provincial Party Committee organized an investigation tour themed “Keep in Mind the Entrustment to Open a New Situation, Strive Forward in Jianghuai Day by Day”.

Technological innovation serves as the core engine of Hefei’s rural revitalization. At Yuqiao Ecological Science and Technology Park in Shuangfeng Economic and Technological Development Zone, Changfeng County, the “Hefei Seed Industry Capital” exhibition hall displays real-time data on crop breeding achievements. “Hefei is fully building a ‘seed industry capital’ and has several national-level seed enterprises, leading the country in hybrid rice, watermelon, melon and vegetable breeding,” said the exhibition hall director.

Adjacent to the exhibition hall is the China Science and Technology Hefei Smart Agriculture Valley, equipped with soil sensors, UAV multispectral imaging and an agricultural remote sensing big data platform. “Through the ‘digital soil’ map, we can accurately guide farmers in fertilization and irrigation, reducing costs and increasing efficiency,” a technician at the valley explained. The technology has been widely applied in characteristic industries such as Changfeng strawberries and Lujiang tea.

The China Science and Technology Hefei Intelligent Breeding Accelerator Innovation Research Institute has shortened the breeding cycle from 8-10 years to 3-5 years with advanced equipment. “We are conducting joint research with multiple seed enterprises to promote stress-resistant, high-yield and high-quality new varieties to fields,” said the institute’s director, according to Science and Technology Daily.

Beautiful and livable villages have become a vivid backdrop for rural revitalization. Changchong Village in Wanshan Town, Lujiang County, a model beautiful and harmonious village in Anhui, has transformed from a “hollow village” into a modern version of “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” through infrastructure renovation and idle rural house reuse. “We retained the rural charm while improving living quality,” said the Wanshan Town official.

Shen Yong, general manager of Half Wild · Xiawan Village Homestay Cluster, transformed idle farmhouses into homestays. “These old houses are treasures, not burdens. We hold tea picking and lobster fishing activities to attract parent-child families,” he said. In 2025, the village’s collective operating income reached 3.029 million yuan, with 9 high-end homestays and 4 parent-child theme parks built.

Industrial integration injects vitality into rural development. Anhui Wangrenhe Rice Noodle Food Co., Ltd. in Feixi County, a national key leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization, consumes 200 tons of rice daily with an annual output value exceeding 600 million yuan. “We fully utilize every grain of rice through the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary industries,” said the company’s director. It has built green rice bases, developed by-products from rice processing and is constructing a “rice noodle town” for tourism and experience.

Hefei’s rural revitalization path links technology, villages and industries closely: technology supports industries, industries energize villages, and villages provide application scenarios for technology and industries. This unique model not only boosts rural development but also sets an example for rural revitalization in provincial capital cities.