The successful family farms in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province have in recent years emerged as a new engine fueling local agricultural modernization and rural vitalization.

As of April 26, there were 7,714 family farms registered in Taizhou. The city's family farms managed more than 600,000 mu (40,000 hectares) of land in 2022, generating 3.6 billion yuan ($519.79 million) in annual operating revenue, official statistics show.

Of the 7,714 farms, 501 have been honored as model farms at the county-level or above, including 126 provincial-level farms.

Though the majority of young and middle-aged rural labor forces are moving to cities amid the nation's accelerating urbanization, more and more young people from Taizhou are returning to their rural homes to find opportunities in the fields.

One such example is Yang Weiguang, who went back to grow crops with his father at the age of 23. Yang was able to adapt easily thanks to the mechanized system of rice farming in his hometown – Zhang'an sub-district in Jiaojiang district.

The young man has since registered a rice brand, which has helped high-quality rice grown in his farm to be sold at a higher price.

Family farms like Yang's have also created plenty of employment opportunities for locals.

Zhou Suli, who runs a tea plantation in the county-level city of Linhai, said when harvest season arrives, they need to hire 200 to 300 tea pickers, most of whom are middle-aged women from surrounding areas, who can earn 100 to 300 yuan per day.