According to local authorities, Qiantang has established 16 practice stations — for young people visiting rural areas for firsthand experiences — and cultivated 525 agricultural entrepreneurs.

　　Chouhan said the approach has relevance for both China and India, where young people often move to big cities in search of employment. "Qiantang shows that if you modernize the countryside, young people will happily bring their talent back home," he added.

　　For Zafarbek Abdullaev, an Uzbek student and member of the alliance, his interest is in how rural tourism drives local economies.

　　"To be exact, I'm focused on how a normal farming village like Xinjiang (in Qiantang district) turns its land, its food, and its story into real income, and still keeps its young people at home," he said.

　　He highlighted the role of young agricultural entrepreneurs who return to rural areas to start businesses, sell products online, develop brands and operate guesthouses.

　　"Villages join together, share one brand, and bargain as a group. So one farmer does not stand alone against a big company. I believe this is the part most worth copying," he said.

　　In Uzbekistan, rural communities have abundant cultural resources, traditional foods and handicrafts but are still struggling to find ways to generate more income locally, he said.

　　The Qiantang fieldwork is being further supported by a rural vitalization competition among international students.

　　As part of the competition, students from BRICS nations and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative are invited to conduct in-depth research into villages in Qiantang and document rural development through photographic, written and data works.