Ding Yimu (R) introduces Hehong to foreign businessmen. (zj.people.cn/Hu Yuzao)
Ding Yimu, born in 1963, is a French man who has lived in the village of Hehong in Ninghai County, Zhejiang province for 16 years. Ding, recognizable by his omnipresent glasses, is now an entrepreneur and village official.
Ding got his MBA degree in the U.S., and then stayed to earn his fortune on Wall Street. He then quit his job and spent two years traveling around the world. Eventually, Ding settled down in Ninghai, his wife's hometown, where the couple started their own stationery and household appliance business. At present, Ding's two companies have an annual output value of about 100 million RMB.
On Feb. 29, 2016, Ding became one of the village leaders, taking the position of assistant to the village head. Since beginning the job, Ding has injected fresh blood into the village's governance. In order to protect several pieces of ancient architecture, he borrowed a strategy that has found success in France and proposed a new regulation: villagers can either build new houses or else redecorate their old residences without damaging the external structure. He is now planning to develop tourism in the village and receive foreigners who are interested in Chinese village life.
