More than 5.7 million rural Chinese have returned from cities to their hometowns to start businesses, Vice¹ Minister of Agriculture Chen Xiaohua said.

农业部副部长陈晓华近日称，全国返乡创业人数超过570万。

Among them, 4.5 million people are rural migrant workers who used to work in urban areas, while the rest are mainly fresh graduates and retired² soldiers, said Chen.

陈晓华表示，其中450万人是曾在城市打工的农民工，其余主要是刚毕业的大学生和退伍军人。

Meanwhile, rural China has attracted 1.3 million urban people, including scientists and technicians, from their homes in cities to participate in rural entrepreneurship, Chen said.

此外，陈晓华还表示，过去居住在城镇的科学家和技术人员等约130万的城市人口，选择了来到了农村地区下乡创业。

The data was released after the government released a set of guidelines encouraging people to start businesses in the countryside.

该数据发布之前，政府刚出台了鼓励人们在农村创业的一系列指导意见。

By rolling out a number of new support policies, the government expects such people to inject new energy into the rural economy and increase farmers' incomes by introducing modern technology and management.

通过出台诸多新的支持性政策，政府希望返乡创业人员通过引进现代技术和管理模式，为农村经济注入新能量，增加农民收入。

Large-scale farming, farm produce processing, leisure agriculture and rural tourism, as well as producer and consumer services, are priorities of the policy support.

规模种养、农产品加工、休闲农业、乡村旅游以及各类生产性、生活性服务业等，均是政策支持的重点。

The move also aims to trigger a return of people to the countryside, where many children and elderly are left at home by adults who sought work in cities, Chen said, adding that the new startups will bring more new jobs.

陈晓华表示，此举还旨在引导人们回到农村，因为在城市寻求工作的成年人在家里留下了许多的孩子和老人。他还表示，初创企业将带来更多的新增就业。