This morning, the Municipal Government Information Office held a press conference. The Director of the Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Commission introduced the “Implementation Opinions on Anchoring Agricultural and Rural Modernization and Solidly Advancing the Comprehensive Revitalization of Shanghai’s Rural Areas” (hereinafter referred to as the “Implementation Opinions”). Officials from the Municipal Planning and Resources Bureau and the Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Commission also attended the press conference and answered questions.

Over the past year, focusing on technological innovation and agricultural/rural reforms, Shanghai has worked diligently to optimize modern agriculture, strengthen the rural collective economy, better secure employment and income growth for farmers, and firmly uphold the baseline of people’s livelihoods. All annual and 14th Five-Year Plan targets and tasks were successfully completed.

Last year, the city’s total grain sown area reached 1.99 million mu, with a total output of 1.05 million tons and a per-mu yield of 526 kilograms. Total output, per-mu yield, and sown area all achieved growth. According to calculations by the National Bureau of Statistics, Shanghai’s comprehensive rural revitalization development index reached 80.5 points, ranking first in the nation for three consecutive years. The per capita disposable income of rural permanent residents reached 48,122 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%, which was 1.4 percentage points higher than the growth rate for urban permanent residents, further narrowing the urban-rural income gap.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Central Committee has issued 14 No. 1 Central Documents guiding work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. Recently, the city’s “Implementation Opinions” were officially issued and implemented, systematically deploying Shanghai’s rural revitalization work.

I. Overall Considerations of the “Implementation Opinions”

The drafting of the “Implementation Opinions” strives to reflect three characteristics: First, focusing on key points for efficient advancement. It fully aligns with central requirements while concentrating on shortcomings and weaknesses in the city’s recent work progression, ensuring clear problem orientation and effective policy implementation. Second, clarifying responsibilities and ensuring implementation. It integrates with national performance evaluations for advancing the rural revitalization strategy, specifies responsible units and implementing entities, utilizes information technology for “chart-based operations,” and forms a promotion pattern characterized by “clear tasks, definite milestones, and thorough follow-through.” Third, basing on practical conditions for precise policy measures. Closely tied to the characteristics of urban-rural integrated development in a modern international metropolis, while fully implementing the central spirit, it highlights Shanghai’s distinctive features, reflects Shanghai’s standards, and ensures policies are grounded, practical, and operable.

II. Main Content of the “Implementation Opinions”

The “Implementation Opinions” consist of five parts with 20 articles, clarifying five key areas of work.

1. Accelerating the Development of Modern Urban Green Agriculture. This includes resolutely implementing the joint responsibility of the Party and government for food security, promoting modern farming system reforms, improving grain production capacity and levels, promoting quality and efficiency enhancement in the “vegetable basket” industry, implementing actions to modernize and upgrade facility agriculture, and increasing the supply of green, high-quality agricultural products. It involves strengthening farmland protection and quality improvement, accelerating the construction of high-standard farmland, and implementing full-cycle management. Enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural technological innovation, strengthening organized scientific research, tackling key technologies, and building a tiered cultivation system for agricultural technology enterprises.

2. Actively Creating High-Quality Living Spaces in Rural Areas. Promoting the implementation of rural territorial space planning, continuously advancing the construction of livable, business-friendly, beautiful, and harmonious rural clusters, promoting the first batch of pilot projects to create “Shanghai-style Jiangnan” characteristic villages, continuously advancing comprehensive land consolidation across entire regions, and categorically securing land for rural development. Strengthening the construction, management, and maintenance of rural infrastructure, and upgrading the capacity and level of public service provision in rural areas. Improving the quality of the rural ecological environment and the level of social governance.

3. Taking Multiple Measures to Promote Sustained Income Growth for Farmers. First, promoting the integrated development of rural industries, accelerating the cultivation of premium agricultural brands, and promoting the fresh and direct delivery of locally produced agricultural and sideline products. Second, building a rural tourism industry system and creating new rural consumption scenarios integrating digital and physical elements. Legally revitalizing and making good use of idle rural land and houses, deepening the open trading of rural collective assets and resources through the rural property rights trading platform, and comprehensively carrying out the work of confirming rights and issuing certificates for unregistered rural collective immovable properties. Developing and strengthening the rural collective economy. Developing rural industries, implementing

Shanghai

Shanghai is a major global metropolis and financial hub on China’s east coast, which grew from a small fishing village into a significant port following the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. Its iconic skyline, symbolized by the Pudong district’s skyscrapers like the Oriental Pearl Tower, reflects its rapid modern development, while areas like the Bund preserve its colonial-era history as an international settlement. Today, it stands as a vibrant center of commerce, culture, and innovation, blending its rich past with a dynamic future.

14th Five-Year Plan

The “14th Five-Year Plan” is not a physical place or cultural site, but rather a national strategic blueprint for China’s economic and social development from 2021 to 2025. It outlines key national priorities such as technological self-reliance, green energy transition, and high-quality growth, continuing a series of such plans that have guided the country’s direction since 1953. Its history is part of China’s modern governance framework for long-term planning and development.

National Bureau of Statistics

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is the primary agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and publishing official statistical data for the People’s Republic of China. It was established in its modern form in 1952, evolving from earlier statistical bodies to become the central authority for economic and social census data, such as GDP and population figures. Its work is fundamental to government planning and policy-making, providing a comprehensive statistical picture of the country’s development.

18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China

The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held in Beijing in November 2012, was a pivotal political meeting where new central leadership was elected and the “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” was established as a guiding ideology. It outlined key national development goals and policies, marking a significant milestone in China’s modernization journey under the Party’s leadership.

No. 1 Central Documents

“No. 1 Central Documents” (一号文件) is a term that refers to the first policy document issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China each year, which has historically focused on rural and agricultural affairs. Since 1982, these annual documents have set the strategic direction for China’s agricultural development, rural reform, and farmer welfare, reflecting the central government’s long-standing priority on these issues. They are key instruments for guiding national policy and have addressed themes like modernizing agriculture, alleviating rural poverty, and promoting rural revitalization.

Shanghai-style Jiangnan

“Shanghai-style Jiangnan” refers to the distinctive cultural and architectural aesthetic of the lower Yangtze River region (Jiangnan), as interpreted and refined in modern Shanghai. It blends traditional Jiangnan elements—like classical gardens, whitewashed walls, and grey-tiled roofs—with the cosmopolitan, Art Deco, and Shikumen influences that emerged in Shanghai during its 19th and 20th-century international settlement era. This style represents a historical fusion of China’s serene water-town heritage with the vibrant, hybrid urban culture of its most prominent port city.

rural revitalization strategy

The rural revitalization strategy is a comprehensive national policy in China launched in 2017, aiming to address rural decline by promoting economic development, improving infrastructure, and preserving cultural heritage in the countryside. It focuses on modernizing agriculture, enhancing environmental sustainability, and elevating living standards to bridge the urban-rural gap.

modern international metropolis

A modern international metropolis is a major global city—such as New York, London, or Shanghai—characterized by its significant economic influence, diverse population, and role as a hub for finance, culture, and innovation. Historically, many such cities grew from important trading ports or colonial centers, transforming over centuries through industrialization and globalization into their current interconnected status. Today, they are defined by iconic skylines, world-class institutions, and their ability to shape worldwide trends in business and culture.