In June 2025, the Guangdong Provincial Rural Work Leading Group Office and the Provincial Propaganda Department jointly issued the "Media+" Empowerment Action Plan for the "Millions of Projects" Agricultural Product Market System (2025–2027). As China's first provincial-level policy document using "media+" to empower rural revitalization, the Action Plan has been implemented for a year, with a series of exploratory projects now taking root in Guangdong's counties, towns, and villages. Reflecting on the past year's achievements, what exactly has this "media+" formula added?
"Media+" first and foremost adds a shift in development mindset. Thriving industries are the key to rural revitalization. In the past, agricultural development focused more on how to grow and raise products well. Today, facing a vast market, how to sell products effectively and secure premium prices for quality has taken on more practical significance. From the plight of Xuwen pineapples facing market gluts to the rise of the "Pineapple Sea" as a regional brand, and from Huazhou's citron peel relying mainly on trade fairs and physical stores to now engaging younger consumers through short videos, micro-dramas, and live-streaming, market-oriented, brand-building, and media-centric thinking are gaining traction. This proactive approach prompts producers to re-evaluate their products and align with production areas based on consumer demand and market dynamics.
"Media+" also brings together cross-sector resources. The role of media extends beyond amplifying communication reach to connecting commercial channels outside agriculture, such as tourism agencies, tech companies, and domestic and international markets. In 2025, Guangdong media launched the "Calling the World to Taste Guangdong Lychees" campaign, linking lychee planting, harvesting, and consumption, helping the province sell 1.7 million tons of lychees worth 17 billion yuan. In the 2026 "Guangdong Goods Go Global" initiative, media further leveraged their "hub" power to bring together diverse resources, creating conditions for agricultural products to leave their production areas and enter larger markets.
"Media+" further cultivates new talent rooted in rural areas. Sustainable industrial growth requires not only farmers skilled in planting and breeding but also new-generation farmers versed in market know-how, communication, and operations. Various regions are conducting communication training and live-streaming practices, helping farmers shift from waiting for external promotion to actively telling their product stories and finding markets. Rural ambassadors and new farmer live-streamers are becoming a new force connecting production areas with markets. Media involvement in talent development goes beyond generating buzz for a single event; it aims to leave behind individuals who can sustain brand operations and market connections, transforming external empowerment into internal driving force.
"Media+" reveals new value in rural culture. When agricultural products enter the market, competition extends beyond quality and price to include the stories of their origin's history and regional culture. Guangdong's first "San Nong" (Agriculture, Rural Areas, and Farmers) IP micro-drama, "Huazhou Citron Peel, the World's Top Red," not only showcases the history and culture of citron peel but also brings attention to its filming location, Tandi Village in Maoming's Gaozhou, turning micro-drama production into a new income-generating activity for the village collective. Brand IPs launched by the Yangcheng Evening News, such as "Poems of Wengcheng's Children" and "A Hundred Villages' New Look," are also rediscovering and documenting rural culture. The "media+" approach to empowering brand storytelling is not just about packaging agricultural products and villages; it's about presenting the history, culture, production techniques, and lifestyles embedded within them. This pushes material value towards brand and cultural value, opening new development avenues for rural areas.
A year of practice shows that "media+" injects momentum into the "Millions of Projects" by changing mindsets, pooling resources, nurturing talent, and uncovering cultural assets. Ultimately, its success must be measured by increased agricultural efficiency and higher farmer incomes. Connecting more high-quality agricultural products with the market and ensuring the fruits of industrial development truly benefit the people are the ultimate yardsticks for the effectiveness of "media+."
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