Eight villages in east China's Zhejiang Province are recruiting professional managers with annual performance bonuses of up to 1 million yuan (about 144,000 U.S. dollars).

The eight villages are in the Yuhang district of Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang, and candidates with bachelor degrees or above across the country can sign up before Aug. 18, according to the district department of agriculture and rural affairs.

After the signing-up process is complete, the department will hold a written examination, as well as interviews for the candidates.

Each village plans to recruit one professional manager with a first employment term of two years, said Wang Xiaoying, an official with the department.

"This is the second year that we are recruiting rural managerial personnel," said Wang, adding that three villages took part in the recruitment last year, but two professional managers later left for higher pay, and only one stayed.

"We are offering higher salaries this year, increasing the annual base pay from 150,000 yuan to 180,000 yuan," said Wang. Two villages are even offering performance bonuses of up to 1 million yuan.

Agricultural management was among 13 new professions that China's human resources authorities released in April 2019 to keep pace with economic and technological development.

Thanks to the continuous attention the central authorities have been paying to agriculture and rural areas over the past years, new business models are mushrooming in the countryside, thus increasing demand for new managerial personnel, said Gu Yikang, chief expert with the Zhejiang rural vitalization research institute.

Zhejiang is among the leaders in the country's rural vitalization drive, with great efforts being made to protect the natural environment and traditional culture. As a result, local rural tourism is seeing rapid development.