Driving along the mountain roads of Zhaojia Town in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, the vast expanse of Torreya grandis forests is lush and verdant, with the refreshing aroma of Torreya nuts floating in the air. Thirty kilometers away, in a Shaoxing winery, the rich fragrance of wine, imbued with the sedimentation of time, wafts through the air. This trip, including an interview with Chouzhou Bank on its efforts to support the transformation of the two millennia-old industries of Torreya nuts and Shaoxing rice wine, gave me a more profound understanding of how inclusive finance can empower rural revitalization.
The core of rural revitalization is industrial revitalization, but the development of traditional rural industries is often hampered by the dual contradictions of "time" and "capital." Torreya trees take 15 years to bear fruit, and rice wine requires 10 years of aging; both industries are "friends of time," yet they have also been trapped in development dilemmas due to the "cost of time." In the past, an invisible wall always separated financial services from rural industries: Torreya farmers, guarding their ancestral ancient Torreya trees, were hampered by the large upfront investment and long payback period; rice wine artisans, holding the prestigious title of national intangible cultural heritage, struggled to raise funds for intelligent transformation due to a lack of traditional collateral.
Chouzhou Bank's breakthrough lies in its proactive approach of getting close to the land. When the financial service team treks over mountains and valleys, hiking for two hours just to extend credit to a single torreya farmer, and when the "whole village credit" model allows farmers to obtain loans without leaving their homes, we see a profound shift in the concept of financial services—rural revitalization is not just a slogan, and financial support cannot be superficial. Only by immersing ourselves in the fields, understanding the industry cycle, and comprehending the farmers' accounts can financial resources truly flow to where they are needed.
The value of this "downward" service lies not only in providing financial assistance but also in activating the industry's self-sustaining capacity. "Torreya Farmer Loans" not only address farmers' urgent needs but also leverage the deep processing and cultural tourism integration of the torreya industry; "Data-Driven Credit" breaks free from the constraints of traditional collateral, enabling rice wine companies to complete intelligent transformation. Financial intervention is not merely a simple allocation of funds; it gives traditional industries wings to transform and upgrade, turning "selling raw fruit" into "selling culture," and revitalizing traditional crafts.
From "whole-village credit granting" to "data profiling," Chouzhou Bank's exploration provides a clear answer: the key to financial support for rural revitalization lies in "precision." Different industries have different pain points, and different entities have different needs. There is no one-size-fits-all template; only innovation tailored to local conditions. For rural industries with long cycles and high risks, financial institutions need to break away from conventional thinking and use more flexible credit granting models and more convenient service processes to safeguard the development of local industries.
When the ancient torreya trees bear fuller fruits, and when aged rice wine exudes a richer aroma, I know that this is the resonance between finance and industry, and even more so, the rebirth of a thousand-year-old industry in the new era.
