A fruitful return

Zhang Xiong traveled home from the big city enticed by possibility, but it was just the beginning of a long journey from loss to redemption, Wang Ru reports.

Editor's note: A xiaokang society, or a moderately prosperous society, has been the dream of Chinese people for thousands of years. Our reporters travel around the country to cover the arduous efforts being made in order to realize the dream.

Back in 2010, 24-year-old Zhang Xiong was already leading a comfortable life since leaving his hometown in Guoyuan village, Meishan city, Sichuan province, after several years of struggling to establish himself in Beijing.

At that time, data released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics showed that the average annual income in the city was 50,415 yuan ($7,201), but Zhang, who worked at electronics manufacturer Hon Hai group, was making around 240,000 yuan each year.

However, it didn't stop him from giving up his job and returning to his hometown to grow grapes. The decision changed his life in both positive and negative ways, but growing grapes finally led him out of the hardest time of life.

Standing in his vineyard, Zhang recalls why he went back home 10 years ago. "At that time, my village held a seminar about migrant workers every Lunar New Year holiday. From such a seminar, I heard the local government appeal to villagers who had migrated to other areas to return and engage in grape planting, and they would provide favorable policies, technical support and good sales channels.