Workers carry out their duties at the "Little orange lantern" workshop in Taizhou's Hangyan district. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

In a workshop titled "Little orange lantern", vegetables such as cauliflower and radishes are washed and peeled before being pickled in separate containers.

The work is done by a group of elderly people, who are all aged above 60, and are from Fang'ao village, Ningxi town, Huangyan district, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

An elderly employee surnamed Li said that it is very hard for people who are about to retire to find a job in cities, but the workshop has enabled them to earn more than 3,500 yuan ($538.46) per month at a place that is just a few minutes' walk from their homes.

There are 77 such workshops across the district, which have created employment opportunities in impoverished communities.

Canteens have also opened in some of the impoverished communities thanks to the collective income generated by these workshops. The canteens offer employees can have meals at a very low price.

The establishment of workshops in Taizhou's rural areas in cooperation with labor-intensive companies has been bridging the urban-rural development gap in education, healthcare and elderly care, which is blazing a new trail for the pursuit of common prosperity in the city.