BEIJING — China has recently launched a pilot demonstration of rural governance and the establishment of demonstration villages and towns in rural governance, said an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on July 1.

The program will select 100 county-level areas throughout the country to explore replicable practices in rural governance, while a total of 100 townships and 1,000 villages will be selected as good examples in rural governance.

Zhang Tianzuo, director of the rural cooperative economic guidance department of the ministry, said local governments are encouraged to actively innovate and take bold actions to form replicable practices.