Why Are Young People in Tengtou Village Bold Pioneers？

Reporters from China Report visited Tengtou Village in Fenghua District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. This village, with an area of less than 2 square kilometers and a registered population of only over 800, has nurtured more than 50 young entrepreneurs. Their annual revenues range from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of yuan, with a total annual output value exceeding 400 million yuan.

Why can this land nurture such vibrant entrepreneurial vitality?

A New Year "Around-the-Stove Dialogue" Among Entrepreneurs

△Tengtou Village's consultation pavilion

There is a tradition in Tengtou Village that has lasted for more than 10 years: from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival, villagers who start businesses outside gather for a meal and chat on a chosen day. This New Year "around-the-stove dialogue" has become an important occasion for village entrepreneurs to exchange and support each other.

According to Fu Pingjun, Secretary of Tengtou Village Party Committee, it is planned to upgrade this informal gathering to a formal entrepreneurs' association during this Spring Festival to provide stronger support for villagers working outside.

Villager Fu Fangjie has run an optical shop in Ningbo since 1998, with more than 20 years of entrepreneurial experience. Before the pandemic, he participated in the New Year "around-the-stove dialogue" for many consecutive years. "We talk about the past year's situation, share difficulties and experiences," Fu Fangjie recalled, "Many cooperation opportunities emerge from such conversations, and some problems are solved through communication."

Fu Pingjun said that building an exchange platform aims to better serve village entrepreneurs. Many entrepreneurs lack professional knowledge and teams in legal affairs, auditing and taxation. For long-term enterprise development, standardized operation is essential. Led by Tengtou Group, the Tengtou Village economic cooperative has more than 50 subsidiaries and stronger professional enterprise management capabilities. The village collective hopes to provide assistance to entrepreneurs in these aspects.

As the Spring Festival approaches, Fu Fangjie is looking forward to participating in the "around-the-stove dialogue" again to catch up with fellow villagers. Chen Zhexian, deputy Secretary of the Village Party Committee, said that new faces will join this year's gathering, including Fu Shengna.

The Village Collective Provides a Safety Net

△The first generation of self-built houses in Tengtou Village. Archival photo.

△The second generation of self-built villas in Tengtou Village. Photo by Dong Ning.

Fu Shengna runs a bakery in Fenghua District, Ningbo City, with an annual turnover of about 2.4 million yuan last year. Speaking of her bold decision in 2014 to invest all her savings plus loans to start a business, she said this courage came from the village's guarantees.

In Tengtou Village, villagers receive a monthly welfare fund of 1,500 yuan from birth to death, which increases to more than 4,000 yuan after retirement. "Even if my business fails, I can still save a lot with the welfare fund alone, so I dared to take the plunge," Fu Shengna said.

In the first few years of entrepreneurship, Fu Shengna did not resign. She worked as an accountant in a village collective enterprise during the day and managed the bakery after work. The enterprise leaders not only did not object but also strongly supported her and often introduced orders. Every Double Ninth Festival, the cakes ordered by the village for elderly people celebrating birthdays are all made by Fu Shengna.

Fu Pingjun said that the village's support for young people is divided into three levels: entrepreneurship and innovation are most encouraged, followed by taking public examinations and civil service exams, and returning to work in the village is the last.

Fu Fangjie has worked outside for many years and does not live in Tengtou Village regularly, but because his household registration is in Tengtou Village, his account receives a fixed monthly remittance of 1,500 yuan from the village. In addition, the village pays half of his social security and medical insurance premiums for 15 consecutive years. Fu Fangjie repeatedly emphasized that the village collective's support for young entrepreneurs outside gives him peace of mind.

The village collective's attention and incentives for entrepreneurship have made many young people eager to start businesses. Fu Dandan, who loves coffee, worked in the village committee after graduating from college and is now deputy director of the publicity office of Tengtou Village. She is often urged by colleagues to start a business: "If you open a shop, the village committee will order at least 30 cups every day." Fu Dandan said she will consider entrepreneurship when the time is right.

"Hard work Does Not Guarantee Success, But No Hard Work Guarantees Failure"

△On February 3rd, Fu Shengna was preparing to attach labels to birthday cakes at a bakery. Photog by Li Shimeng

Fu Pingjun often tells young people: "Choice matters more than hard work. Hard work does not guarantee success, but no hard work guarantees failure." Although living conditions for post-80s and post-90s generations in Tengtou Village are improving day by day, they have inherited the simple business acumen and fearless spirit of struggle from their parents.

Fu Shengna modestly attributes her entrepreneurial success to good luck, recouping her costs in the first year, but the hardships behind it are little known. Before starting a business, she and her husband spent half a year researching the market, visiting bakeries and cafes in surrounding areas almost every weekend. In 2014, she successfully launched her first bestseller — coffee bread, after testing nearly 100 products.

After the bakery business stabilized, Fu Shengna decided to open a second store in 2018, investing about 800,000 yuan at that time. The reason for opening a new store was her sharp observation that the average age of residents in the old urban area was gradually rising, and their consumption capacity for bread and coffee was declining, while young people in the city were gradually moving to the new urban area. Moreover, opposite the new location was a key primary school in Fenghua District, ensuring a stable customer flow.

However, the new store did not achieve the expected results. By then, she had resigned to focus on entrepreneurship. "I was losing money every day," she said. That year was the hardest time for her. She worked until after nine o'clock every night, watching unsold bread have to be thrown away reluctantly.

As the occupancy rate of surrounding communities increased and supporting facilities improved, the store gradually accumulated a stable customer base. During the pandemic, online orders surged instead. At that time, people could not go out, so delivery became a problem. Cake delivery requires high standards, and dedicated delivery is more reliable. Faced with huge market orders, Fu Shengna united several bakeries to quickly form a dedicated delivery team of 5-6 people to ensure cakes were delivered intact and on time.

Today, the daily turnover of her new bakery is between 6,000 and 7,000 yuan, with mostly regular customers. She said she will continue to run the bakery until retirement.

Although she also has a house in Fenghua urban area, Fu Shengna is used to driving back to Tengtou Village more than ten minutes away after closing the shop at nine o'clock every night. It is quieter there, parking is convenient, and she sleeps more soundly.

At the main gate at the entrance of Tengtou Village stands a bronze ox statue inscribed with "Plowing forward to the end, innovating endlessly". The older generation in Tengtou forged a bright future under the difficult conditions of "uneven fields, rough roads, grain yield only 200 catties per mu". Today, every young person leaving the village passes by this bronze ox statue and takes this motto to farther places.

△Statue at the entrance of Tengtou Village. Photo by Liu Xueyun