5月14日

CHINA DAILY（中国日报）刊发

《From city life to rural roots》文章

深度报道黄冈女孩孙双双

大学毕业后返乡创业

通过新媒体赋能乡村振兴的典型事迹

展现新时代中国青年扎根乡土

以创新思维

激活农村发展新动能的责任担当

以下为英文版全文

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From city life to rural roots

（A young college graduate trades city life for pig farming, using digital skills to share authentic rural stories, boost local sales, and inspire new forms of entrepreneurship.）

By Gui Qian and Liu Kun in Wuhan

Sun Shuangshuang feeds pigs on her farm in Yingshan, Hubei province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

When 26-year-old Sun Shuangshuang carries a 40-kilogram bag of cornmeal to the pigsty in her small village in Yingshan county, Hubei, it's hard to believe she once worked in a sleek office in Wuhan, the provincial capital.

Today, she's a "pig-farming influencer" and a rural entrepreneur, blending business with a bit of farmyard charm.

Sun runs her own pig farm while managing the Douyin account "Black Pig Run Run", where her 626,000 followers get a glimpse into her unconventional life.

From the hustle of city offices to the mud-filled reality of pigsties, Sun represents a new idealism among young people today — grounding herself in the land and using innovation to empower local villagers.

In 2021, Sun graduated from Hubei University of Economics with a degree in internet and new media. When asked if returning to rural farming was a waste of her education, she laughed and said, "There are so many choices in life. It's time to shed the long robe of Kong Yiji", a reference to breaking free from the outdated scholar's mantle.

For Sun, using her professional knowledge to open markets and promote rural values is the true purpose of her education.

Her social media presence plays a significant role in selling products. Her first viral video — showing her sweeping the roof of a pigsty with a broom while a group of black pigs gathered around — garnered 2 million likes on Douyin and earned her 200,000 followers in a single day.

The hashtag "college student pig farmer" draws attention for its unusual contrast, but what truly captivates the audience is the authentic, down-to-earth rural life depicted in her videos.

"People love watching us share snippets of daily life, like gardening, cooking, and carrying feed," Sun said, noting that many of her followers — especially young people — long for this "leisurely and free" lifestyle.

"Some people leave comments saying they admire my courage for doing what they wouldn't dare try themselves," she said.

The impact is more than just online. In her weekly half-hour livestreams, Sun can sell two pigs weighing 300 kilograms each. Before the 2023 Spring Festival, 30 black pigs were sold to customers across the country.

Sun Shuangshuang feeds pigs on her farm in Yingshan, Hubei province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Support that matters

The path of entrepreneurship hasn't always been smooth. In July 2023, an outbreak of swine fever devastated Sun's pig farm. "At that time, I really felt like giving up and returning to the city to get a job," she recalled.

But just when things seemed most difficult, help arrived. Yingshan's technology and agriculture bureaus sent experts to provide on-site guidance for disease control and recovery. The head of the local e-commerce association helped improve logistics, and the county government pledged 1 million yuan to support the construction of a new farm.

"They told me it's not easy for a young person to return to the countryside," Sun said.

It was this hands-on support that convinced her to fully commit to rural life.

The new pig farm is currently under development, featuring three modern pigsties with a capacity for 1,200 pigs, along with mechanized feeding equipment.

"We used to be small-scale, scattered farmers," Sun said. "Now it's time for a scientific upgrade."

She's also pleased that the county's e-commerce industrial park has reduced logistics costs, making nationwide shipping 30 percent cheaper than before.

Sun uses her growing influence to help others as well. Every two weeks, she hosts a livestream to promote and sell local products — dried beans, rapeseed oil, wild chrysanthemums, and more.

One chicken farmer, nicknamed Little Ming from a neighboring county, saw his egg orders multiply after Sun featured him in her videos. So far, she has helped more than 50 households sell over 50,000 yuan worth of homemade goods.

Sun distributes revenue from livestream sales to local villagers.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"At first, they didn't believe I could sell dried vegetables to people outside the village," Sun recalled. "But when I handed them the money, their happiness was infectious."

Sun's desire to help others is deeply rooted in her childhood. Raised by her grandparents as a left-behind child, she remembers how they "always thought of others, yet lived frugally themselves." Later, she was able to attend university thanks to scholarships, which gave her a deeper appreciation for the power of support.

So when she saw elderly villagers with high-quality agricultural products but struggling to sell them, she felt she had to step in.

"The countryside doesn't lack people who can grow crops or raise livestock," she said. "What it lacks are people who know how to sell those products."

When asked what it means to return to the countryside to start a business, Sun's answer is refreshingly simple: "Just to stay and live in the countryside."

She recalls her days in the city — living on takeout, constantly busy, sometimes not even having time for a bathroom break, until the stress eventually made her seriously ill. Since moving back to the rural area, she grows her own vegetables, cooks her meals, gets regular exercise through farm work, and has learned many hands-on life skills.

"I don't like the fast-paced, highly competitive lifestyle of big cities. I prefer life in the countryside. There's more physical work, yes — but it's mentally calming and brings me peace of mind," she explained. "Everything I do now is essentially so I can continue living here."

中文版全文

（翻译版）

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从都市白领到乡村“猪倌”

一位年轻的大学毕业生放弃城市生活回乡养猪，用数字技术分享真实乡村故事、带动土特产销售，为乡村创业注入新活力。

孙双双在湖北省英山县的农场里养猪。[图片由《中国日报》提供]

当26岁的孙双双扛着40斤玉米面走向猪圈时，很难想象她曾经在武汉光鲜亮丽的写字楼里工作。

如今，她是湖北省英山县一个小山村的“养猪网红”，用猪圈里的烟火气经营着自己的事业。这位返乡创业女青年一边经营养猪场，一边运营着抖音账号“黑猪跑跑”，62.6万粉丝通过这个窗口看到了她不同寻常的生活选择。

从都市写字楼到乡间养猪场，孙双双代表了中国年轻人的新理想主义——扎根乡土，用创新思维赋能乡村。

2021年从湖北经济学院网络与新媒体专业毕业后，面对“大学生回乡养猪是否浪费学历”的疑问，孙双双笑着引用鲁迅笔下人物说：“人生有那么多选择，是时候脱下孔乙己的长衫了。”在她看来，用专业知识开拓市场、传播乡村价值，才是教育的真正意义。

社交媒体成为她打开销路的重要渠道。第一条爆款视频里，她拿着扫帚清扫猪圈顶棚，一群黑猪在脚下簇拥，这条内容在抖音获得200万点赞，单日涨粉20万。

“大学生猪倌”的反差标签固然吸睛，但真正打动网友的是视频里原汁原味的乡土生活。“大家爱看我们分享种菜、做饭、扛饲料的日常片段。”孙双双发现，许多粉丝，尤其是年轻人，向往这种“悠闲自在”的生活状态。“有人留言说佩服我的勇气，做了他们不敢尝试的事。”

线上热度转化为实际销量。通过每周半小时的直播，她能做到单场卖出两头300斤重的生猪。2023年春节前，30头黑猪通过线上销往全国各地。

孙双双在湖北省英山县的农场里养猪。[图片由《中国日报》提供]

至关重要的支持

创业之路并非总是一帆风顺。2023年7月遭遇猪瘟疫情时，养猪场损失惨重。“当时真的想放弃，回城里找工作。”孙双双回忆道。就在最困难的时刻，当地科技、农业部门派专家现场指导防疫复产，电商协会会长帮忙改善物流体系，县政府还承诺提供100万元支持新养殖场建设。

“他们说年轻人返乡不容易。”正是这些实实在在的帮助，让她下定决心扎根乡村。新建的养殖场正在规划中，将建成三栋现代化猪舍，养殖规模可达1200头，配备机械化饲喂设备。

“过去是小农散养模式，现在要实现科学化升级。”孙双双介绍。更让她欣喜的是，县电商产业园降低物流成本后，全国快递费用比原先便宜了30%。

孙双双也用自身影响力反哺乡邻。每半个月，她会举办助农直播，推销干豆角、菜籽油、野菊花等土特产。隔壁县的养鸡户“小明白”经她视频推荐后，鸡蛋订单成倍增长。截至目前，她已帮助50多户村民卖出5万多元农家货。

孙（双双）将直播销售所得收入分配给当地村民。[图片由《中国日报》提供]

“起初他们不信我能把干菜卖到山外，收到货款时那种喜悦特别有感染力。”孙双双说。这份助农情怀源于童年记忆。

作为留守儿童由祖辈抚养长大的她，始终记得老人“自己生活节俭却总为他人着想”的品格。后来靠着助学金完成大学学业，更让她深刻理解“雪中送炭”的意义。看到村里老人守着优质农产品却销路无门时，她觉得自己必须做些什么。“农村不缺会种地、会养殖的人，缺的是会卖产品的人。”

被问及返乡创业的初衷，孙双双的答案简单得令人意外：“就是为了能继续留在农村生活。”她回忆起自己在城市里的日子 —— 靠外卖为生，终日忙碌不停，有时甚至连去洗手间的时间都没有，直到压力最终让她病倒。自从搬回农村后，她自己种植蔬菜、烹饪饭菜，通过农活进行规律锻炼，还学会了许多实用的生活技能。

“我不喜欢大城市快节奏、竞争激烈的生活方式，更喜欢乡村生活。没错，这里需要做更多体力活，但它能让我内心平静，带来心灵的安宁。” 她解释道，“我现在所做的一切，本质上都是为了能继续在这里生活。”