BEIJING, Sept. 24 -- Living in the suburbs and taking public transportation to work downtown is a daily routine for many young people in Beijing, but Kong Bo, 33, dared to say no to such a life.

About 10 years ago, Kong was one of the many bustling commuters, as he spent more than two hours on the bus each day to get to his office at an investment consulting agency in Beijing's CBD area.

Kong would often wait for one full bus after another until he could board one to get home in the evening. Finding himself more and more unhappy because of constant commuting, he began to seek a change.

In 2012, Kong decided to take his wife, Zhao Yuanyuan, back to their birthplace, a village in Miyun District in Beijing's northeastern outskirts. They set up an online shop on China's leading e-commerce platform Taobao, selling locally grown produce.

Local farmers used to sell their vegetables for two or three yuan a kilo, which can then be sold for about 20 yuan per kilo in downtown supermarkets.

"From a business point of view, it's profitable, and from a personal point of view, I would like to go back home and do something I love," Kong said.

At first, Kong's online shop "Miyun Farmer" sold whatever local farmers grew. Starting from 2015, they began to ask the farmers to plant according to orders and data collected from their consumers.

"We tell local farmers that they should plant what consumers want," Zhao Yuanyuan said.

Now, 65 cooperatives in 17 townships of Miyun District have established partnerships with Kong's shop. Fresh vegetables picked in the morning can be delivered to downtown Beijing in the afternoon on the same day.

"Miyun Farmer" also cooperates with scientific research institutions to cultivate and promote varieties with better taste.

According to Kong, "Miyun Farmer" has been the best-seller of vegetables on Taobao for four years since 2013. About 100,000 consumers applied for membership, and each member's order reached an average of about 158 yuan.

"Though I grew up in the village, I never knew that there were so many places in Miyun. The business also provides me an opportunity to rediscover Miyun and gain more knowledge about my hometown," Kong said.

Miyun's relatively slow pace of life and job opportunities created by e-commerce have attracted more and more young talents heading back.

At present, "Miyun Farmer" has about 70 employees. Nearly 40 to 50 percent of the employees in charge of operation, technology and customer service are locals of Miyun District who quit their jobs in downtown Beijing and come back home, many of whom are college graduates.

In 2016, Beijing's first agricultural products e-commerce association was established in Miyun. Now the district has the largest number of agricultural e-commerce entrepreneurs in the city.

"In the next five years, we plan to help consumers pass on their needs to research institutions and farmers while promoting the products that research institutions develop," Kong said.