Qiantang district in Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang province, has grown from a desolate land to a livable new urban area after decades of development.

Xiasha Middle School, Jiangdong village, and Jiangdong Farm epitomize Qiantang's development.

Jiang Zhiming, principal of Xiasha Middle School. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Xiasha Middle School's predecessor was an educational center where only two teachers taught one class. Currently, the middle school has 130 faculty members and more than 1,500 students.

The school has also opened more than 40 courses and is the only national-level archery school in the province. In addition, cutting-edge information technologies, including the internet of things, big data, AR, and VR, are employed for teaching and management.

"Common prosperity not only refers to material abundance, but also means mental and cultural wealth," said Jiang Zhiming, principal of Xiasha Middle School.

Chen Bingxian, a senior Jiangdong villager. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Jiangdong village is inhabited by 569 households and includes two kindergartens, one senior high school, one senior care center, and more than 10 companies.

In 2020, the total industrial and agriculture output of Jiangdong reached 452 million yuan ($70.1 million), its collective income amounted to 32.07 million yuan, while the per capita income of local residents totaled 47,500 yuan.

"As the village becomes better, the younger generation is willing to come back here and help sell homegrown grapes and eggs online," said Chen Bingxian, a senior Jiangdong villager, who believes that common prosperity means a comfortable living environment and a well-off life.

Chen Xing, director of the Qiantang agriculture and rural affairs bureau. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Jiangdong Farm used to be a dryland until Qiantang district reclaimed it to farm crops, including 186 mu (12.4 hectares) of oilseed rape, 3,524 mu of wheat, and 3,700 mu of late rice.

Flowers and plants have also been grown on both sides of the road on the farm, helping make Jiangdong Farm a popular tourist destination in Qiantang.

Chen Xing, director of the Qiantang agriculture and rural affairs bureau, said that common prosperity means higher rural incomes, as well as a smaller income gap between urban and rural residents.