Organizers participate in the event's launch ceremony in Rugao on Nov 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The launch ceremony for an investigative trip to rural areas in Jiangsu province was held in Rugao, Jiangsu – the first stop on the trip – on Nov 19.

The visit is part of the province's rural rejuvenation efforts. It was organized by the Chinese news website GMW and the Cyberspace Administration of Jiangsu under the guidance of the Cyberspace Administration of China.

From Nov 19 to 21, reporters, experts from Chinese universities, and government officials will meet with local officials and residents to learn about social and economic conditions in the countryside.

The group will begin their journey in Rugao, a county-level city governed by Nantong city, and visit more than 10 villages throughout Rugao, Taizhou, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang.

The group visits Guzhuang, a rural community in Rugao, after attending the launch ceremony on Nov 19. [Photo by Xu Congjun/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Tang Renwu, president of the government research institute at Beijing Normal University, said that his team's research on rural rejuvenation requires a combination of theory and practice and the rural visit will help inform him on the topic.

The national strategy of rural rejuvenation, announced by China's top leadership in late 2017, aims to modernize China's agricultural and rural areas by 2035 by developing agriculture-related industries, capitalizing on local strengths, improving local governance, and more.