Wuhan: Farmers in central China's Hubei Province are finding fresh opportunities as pillar industries like crayfish, tea, and clothing open wider channels for jobs and income. In many Chinese county-level regions, one distinctive industry often serves as the backbone of the local economy, powering rural revitalization and helping people build better lives.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Qianjiang, a county-level city in Hubei, is well-known for its crayfish. Every summer, the small crustaceans generate big business, and to the delight of locals, the hustle and bustle now lasts much longer. At the ponds in Zhangjiayao, a village in Qianjiang, Li Fujian had just released his fourth batch of juvenile crayfish this year, which will make their way to consumers by early winter. "By raising crayfish, I earned nearly 300,000 yuan (about 42,236 U.S. dollars) last year, with winter income accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total," the 59-year-old farmer said with a grin.

In the Tujia Autonomous County of Wufeng, a mountainous region in Hubei, the legacy of the global tea trade stretches back to the 18th century. Shrouded in frequent clouds, with limited sunlight and pristine air, the county has long been known as a premier tea-producing region. Since 2023, however, Wufeng's tea industry has faced a significant labor shortage. To sustain the production of high-quality tea and support economic growth, local authorities have established 72 service teams to assist elderly farmers and others who lack the time to tend their tea gardens.

The county-level city of Tianmen in Hubei also has a booming clothing industry. Like many residents, 50-year-old Peng Shaoyun has spent years working in this cornerstone industry, running a small workshop with her family. Recently, she decided to try something new by enrolling in a training school to learn how to set up an e-commerce account and promote products through livestreaming. "Nowadays, people love online shopping, and we must keep up with the trend," she said. Official data shows that from 2021 to 2024, Tianmen's e-commerce transaction value for apparel surged from 7 billion yuan to over 50 billion yuan, up 92 percent per year.