Author: Fan Jia, PhD student at the School of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, Eurybia researcher.
Preface
In March 2025, with the support of my doctoral supervisor Professor Liu Xiaofan at City University of Hong Kong, I conducted a field research in Sanxing Village (formerly Nantang Village) in Sanhe Town, Fuyang City, Anhui Province for a period of one and a half months. During this time, I conducted in-depth interviews with 14 respondents, including core members of Nantang DAO, local agricultural cooperative employees, and villagers, and participated in the Nantang DAO novice program, daily affairs of the Nantang Agricultural Cooperative, and the Nantang DAO translation team. Although the time was short, I had many reflections. I observed the efforts of local partners to put the ideals of DAO into practice, as well as the many challenges faced by pioneers in the rural construction DAO sector. These issues are both unique and reflect some common difficulties in the current development of DAOs.
The "Nantang DAO Chronicles" series is divided into seven parts—Birth, Assembly and Conflict, What is the Goal, Experiments in Incentives and Circulation, Is It Decentralized Enough, Paving a Path Forward, and Written in the End. These words aim to objectively record the stories of change seekers in this land—the ideal glimmer dedicated to rural construction, the frustrations and perseverance in practice, and the most authentic human connections. If these stories can resonate with more people's hearts or provide some inspiration for rural builders and Web3 explorers, then that is its value.
Past links (Part One and Two)
Previous links (Part Three, Four, Five)
This section is Part Six and Seven, focusing on the development direction of Nantan DAO, discussing thoughts on the integration of rural construction and Web3, presenting the visions of various members, as well as their genuine insights from local practice.
Find a way out
The story of Nantang DAO continues. Despite facing numerous challenges, everything is still happening naturally and continuously emerging. The community is exploring its way forward through trial and error, digging for new possibilities in the pursuit of change. Some core members have traveled to Jianta Village in Pujiang County, Chengdu, attempting to launch new projects, trying to find the true intersection of "rural development and Web3" to build a "rural entrepreneurship DAO." Meanwhile, Tiao chose to stay in Nantang, proposing the initiative of "living well," by organizing local young people to conduct blockchain co-learning, band activities, and other efforts to continuously deepen the community. One side explores outward, while the other takes root locally; the two paths run parallel without conflict. Paving a new road is always full of hardships, but as I love to quote: "Pessimists are often right, but optimists keep moving forward." The optimists of Nantang DAO are writing their own answers through action.
Attract more professionals
Talent is the cornerstone of any organization's development. **Cikey has reflected that Nantang DAO failed to effectively attract "talents who truly understand blockchain and Web3" in the early days of its establishment, and the early members generally lacked mature experience in rural construction, so the community took many detours in exploration. Fortunately, the community has recognized this shortcoming and has taken a series of improvement measures. At present, Nantang DAO plans to invite senior experts in the industry to form a "Nantang DAO Governance Steering Group" to provide professional mediation for internal disputes and output systematic suggestions for the strategic direction of each quarter. In addition, through the "Rural Construction Web3 Bilateral Enlightenment Program", community members have participated in Web3 activities at home and abroad for many times, and walked into colleges and universities to preach, which not only improved their professional quality, but also attracted more professionals who are passionate about Web3 and rural construction to join. This two-way interaction opens up new horizons for talent acquisition. It's exciting to see that new members are joining in all the time to breathe new life into the community. Some of them are good at artistic creation and can add creativity to rural cultural activities; Some are proficient in brand promotion and provide support for the external communication of Nantang DAO; Others have made great achievements in the field of organizational research and contributed wisdom to the optimization of community governance mechanisms. These new members not only bring professional skills, but also open up more possibilities for the future development of Nantang DAO.
Facing the world, drawing on experience
What are the real needs of the countryside? Can Web3**** inject new momentum into rural development? How to implement DAO is not only a topic for Nantang, but also a common challenge for the world. **Nantang DAO has investigated a number of international DAO cases, many of which are closely related to rural construction. For example, in response to the post-earthquake reconstruction and aging population, Japan's Yamakoshi Village launched "Nishikigoi NFT" with a local specialty "koi" as the core, and regarded NFT holders as "digital villagers". The resulting DAO community has attracted more than 1,750 members from around the world to raise funds to support sustainable development in the region. While this model doesn't employ typical DAO elements such as smart contracts or on-chain vaults, it does solve local problems. The experience of Shanguzhi Village is quite inspiring for Nantang DAO. Recently, Shanguzhi Village has further put forward the idea of "two-layer DAO-driven governance revolution": using the Valley Zhi DAO as the carrier to realize the co-governance of physical villagers and digital villagers, and make decisions through Snapshot voting; At the same time, the worldtalk DAO is used as a platform to promote cross-regional collaboration (such as Shiiba Village and Tenryu Gorge) to build a "LocalDAO network". This model is similar to the current development path of Nantang DAO, and it should be able to provide a valuable reference for it. **
Another related case is CabinDAO — a decentralized autonomous organization dedicated to building network cities through community collaboration and technological innovation. Its development process is divided into four stages: the Creator Era from 2020 to 2021, establishing "Creator Cabins" as a funding project for creator residencies; from 2021 to 2022, as DAOs flourished, Cabin also began to enter the DAO service provider stage, during which the community created numerous DAO media brands and developed DAO tools such as on-chain and physical passport systems aimed at online communities; from 2022 to 2023, as the cryptocurrency market became turbulent, the community began to significantly reduce the DAO team and focus on creating natural communities for digital nomads and building a global co-living network; starting in early 2024, the team's keywords transformed into "family community," and the team decided to establish deeper connections with local communities. They launched the Neighborhood Accelerator program and proposed to create a community where people live near friends and collectively raise children.
What is worth referencing and reflecting on is that after several years of continuous exploration, the Cabin team believes it is more suitable as a loose community network rather than a startup or DAO. On May 8, 2025, Cabin officially announced its dissolution on the X platform, deciding to give up DAO grants and commercialization projects, and to shift towards a purely community-driven network. This decision stemmed from reflections on the different models of entrepreneurship, DAO, and community networks: "Venture-capital-backed startups are best suited for small, focused teams that can pivot quickly and seek short-term financially viable high-growth business opportunities. DAOs are most suitable as a trusted neutral governance mechanism for distributing ecosystem grants from existing cash flow protocols. Community-driven networks are best suited to serve as loosely connected organizations that allow many individuals to independently explore adjacent paths and build what they find most interesting and valuable." For practitioners of rural construction DAOs, how to find the positioning of DAOs in rural communities and what value DAOs can bring to local communities is undoubtedly a common proposition faced by the world.
Deeply rooted in the local area, seeking advantages
While learning from global pioneers, how to take root locally needs to be based on in-depth research and analysis of local realities. Nantang DAO needs to comprehensively assess local resources such as economy, human resources, spiritual culture, politics, social capital, geographical location, and natural environment in order to formulate practical goals and action plans.
Nantang Village is known for its historical experience of democratic governance, and social attention is the biggest advantage of this land. Looking back at the history of Nantang, we can find that the desire for democracy and rights here has never stopped, and its important historical nodes have always resonated with the advanced organizational concepts in the environment of the great era-From the end of 1990 to the beginning of 2000, the citizens' movement surged, the movement of human rights lawyers and the environmental protection movement began to rise, and citizens were able to protect their rights and interests through legal means and collective action. Nantang also began to organize peasants to defend their rights, promote grassroots elections and implement villagers' self-government. From 2003 to 2004, the goal of peasant organization gradually shifted from rights protection to construction. As Yang Yunbiao said: "In the past, we defended our rights from a confrontational perspective, but after the establishment of cooperatives, our daily work is to defend our rights with livelihood development, cultural construction, and the construction of rural autonomy." 4 Later, in the process of peasant organization, he borrowed from Western civilization, introduced rules of procedure, and realized the localization of advanced governance concepts (2008), and the economic and cultural undertakings of the village achieved rapid development during this period. Yang Yunbiao once pointed out in the dialogue on rural construction: "Rural revitalization is not a simple industrial revitalization and organizational revitalization, but we must return to the 'revitalization of people', and think about how to make people live with a smile and dignity." 5** Today, the establishment of Nantang DAO continues the tradition of organizational innovation, marking the latest attempt to integrate local ethics with modern civilization.
From advocacy organizations to meeting rules, from cooperatives to Nantang DAO, Nantang has tried different forms of democratic governance over the past 30 years. However, it is important to realize that regardless of how innovative the organizational form is, the key lies in whether it focuses on "human connections" and whether it addresses the fundamental needs of local farmers. It is reassuring that the various attempts made in the past and those currently underway have already produced a good "linkage" effect. After living and learning together for some time, some wonderful chemical reactions are quietly occurring between DAO members and cooperative members. During field visits, I observed that local youth, when faced with the division of labor issue in collective cooking, proactively applied Robert's Rules of Order to efficiently negotiate and reach a consensus through "motions" and "reconsiderations." I also sensed the budding awareness of equality among local youth; they are starting to organize spontaneously to collectively think about issues such as the lack of transparency in decision-making, unclear responsibilities and rights, and ambiguous rules in local work and life affairs. This emergence of independent thinking and critical spirit will be a valuable asset for the future development of Nantang. On another front, cooperatives are also broadening their horizons, planning to create a "third space" to serve digital nomads, connecting with a wider group of young people. Based on seeing each other's needs and working in a mutually respectful manner, this may be a driving force for the emergence of new possibilities in this land.
Written at the end
Despite the conflict, the integration of rural construction and Web3 is promising. After the baptism of time and practice, the two sides are expected to reach a consensus in the conflict and form a governance model that takes into account individual autonomy and collective cooperation. In the future development, while promoting the technology and governance model of Web3, Nantang DAO needs to be rooted in the cultural soil of the countryside and the vital interests of the villagers, focusing on solving the most fundamental needs of the countryside, so that the new digital technology can truly touch the soul of the rural society. **
How to view the exploration of DAO in the countryside?
Rural construction and DAO are like two originally intersecting circles: rural construction carries the practice and sentiment of revitalizing the countryside, while DAO reshapes trust and collaboration mechanisms with a decentralized technological concept. In recent years, these two fields have begun to intersect, attracting Web3 practitioners committed to the countryside and rural construction enthusiasts eager to embrace new technologies. However, due to the short duration of contact and differences in values and cultural backgrounds, this intersection inevitably generates friction, including the collision between decentralized autonomy logic and rural collectivism culture, as well as the adjustment between external concepts and local traditions.
The core issue lies in how the DAO as a new organizational form can find its scope of action and capacity boundaries within the rural governance structure. Taking the practice of Nantan DAO as an example, if the issuance of Nantan beans is merely a digital replica of the traditional rural governance points system (such as the work point system), and its usability, ease of use, and even the ability to surpass other existing "alternative currencies" 6; if token-based voting is simply a direct democracy transferred to the Web3 digital platform, but effectively excludes villagers from the democratic decision-making process, to what extent can we expect this so-called organizational "innovation" to bring change to rural society?** Although these questions are embodied in the specific case of Nantan DAO, they are actually a universal inquiry for all future rural construction DAOs or similar organizations.**
Moreover, it must be acknowledged that DAO is not the ultimate answer to all organizational governance issues. No organizational design is perfect, and the trade-offs and choices in the governance process are key for organizations to address sustainable development challenges.7 Different organizational forms have their pros and cons, and they coexist rather than replace each other. If we view decentralization and autonomy as a spectrum, various historical organizations, as well as different developmental stages of the same organization, are positioned at different points along this spectrum. Many failures of DAOs stem from a lack of sufficient understanding of this issue, wanting to run business projects and finding that a more centralized approach works better. They want to allocate funds through a DAO but often the majority are not the beneficiaries, and economic gains are frequently monopolized by a minority. Some DAOs that focus on building community networks find that after a period of operation, they seem unable to find their place as a DAO. A vivid example is when the Uniswap Foundation, during a vote, decided to provide $165 million in liquidity mining rewards for Uniswap v4 and Unichain, which sparked anger within the DAO. Members questioned why the foundation had to spend money while the centralized entity Uniswap Labs ( made millions from front-end fees?** 8
Therefore, rather than pursuing the establishment of a perfect DAO, practitioners in rural construction should consider and explore some practical issues: Under what circumstances is it necessary to organize personnel in a DAO manner? Where are the boundaries of a DAO? In a DAO, which decisions are suitable for "collective brainstorming," and which need to be "finalized once and for all"? Although these questions may not have standard answers, and a true DAO may never be realized in the real world, idealists can take comfort in the fact that the core values pursued by DAOs are the true driving force behind the continuous optimization of human organizational forms.
) Is a decentralized governance model suitable for Nantang?
Nantang does not necessarily need anexternal DAO**,**** but the concept of DAO—transparency, participation, decentralization—can undoubtedly inspire the governance of cooperatives.** By drawing on such external experiences, Nantang can gradually introduce decentralized governance mechanisms while preserving its own characteristics, thereby achieving more resilient and inclusive development. Taking the mutual aid funding project as an example, some villagers expressed dissatisfaction with the cooperative's investment in "local worthies" during interviews. If a decentralized decision-making mechanism had been introduced at that time, where villagers could vote to collectively decide the direction of funds, it might have prevented or mitigated the tragedy. Even if the villagers' dissatisfaction may be seen as hindsight, this sentiment reflects the community's sense of alienation from the decision-making process.** Decentralized governance can not only enhance the sense of participation among community members but also improve the fairness and rationality of decisions by distributing risks.**
Moreover, during the field observation, I felt that the current operating model of the cooperative is affecting every aspect, including the intern program, presenting an awkward intermediate state: it lacks the rigorous rules and efficient execution of corporate enterprises, and does not possess the vitality that emerges from self-organized communities. In this case, Nantang needs to make a choice between hierarchical and decentralized structures. One option is to fully adopt a hierarchical system, clearly defining Biao Ge's role as CEO and Liu Bing as a director and investor, establishing a clear decision-making chain; the other option is to attempt a multi-centered operation, delegating decision-making power for small projects to interns or formal employees, while Biao Ge and Bing Ge focus on providing resource support. This approach can stimulate the team's creativity while retaining the necessary coordination and support.
NantangDAOpartners****expectations
The last question I asked during the interview was about everyone’s expectations for the future of Nantang DAO and their views on the next steps for development. Below are some members' responses:
Bibi emphasizes continuous change and openness, encouraging more people to participate in promoting the development of the Nantang DAO. "Change is inevitable. We must constantly seek change and then continue to explore new battlefields." He believes it is necessary to integrate different groups of people, "to bring two different types of people together to work towards a common goal, which itself is a significant challenge; afterwards, we need to enhance our influence through increased participation, making more people aware of what we are doing and then attracting more people in."
Biao Ge expressed confidence in the future, emphasizing the core role of people, and hopes that Nantang DAO focuses on practical actions. Heearnestly said, "It is not that I hope Nantang DAO will disappear, as I am also a beneficiary," but rather that I hope "they do some practical things." He believes that everyone should "take good care of their physical and mental health, and manage their lives well. If the Web3 partners ruin their bodies, become depressed, and cannot even eat properly, then what is the significance of Web3?"
Cikey said he hopes everyone "lives happily and plays happily. At least this narrative can be shared and can nourish people. Do some practical things. Being able to do something in the countryside is a good thing after all."
One feels that we should "do some local things, still down-to-earth, not too ethereal."
Tiao stated that he "cannot identify with the Nantan DAO; from the very beginning, we were not a team." He said, "I might need to trust someone to get things done, but some people may not have established a trusting relationship at all." He believes that the "best-case scenario for Nantan DAO would be to become a funding distribution platform," while on the specific operational level, it is "more suitable** to**** form**** project groups**** to**** build**** closer teams to**** promote**."
Xiao Bai expressed concerns about the current situation of Nantang DAO but remains open to possible collaboration and development. "Many members of Nantang DAO believe it is no longer suitable to stay in Nantang. To be honest, I am a bit worried, but there may also be issues of division later on." He hopes that Yunxiang DAO can become a partner with a vision similar to that of Nantang DAO, "Cooperating with each other is a very good thing, I think," but he opposes describing this relationship as "incubation."
Yu Xing focuses on reducing internal friction and promoting the integration of Web3 with rural construction, entering a substantial stage. "Let those who want to get things done not get caught up in arguments; in a more orderly environment, we can truly do some Web3-related work." He believes that Nantang DAO has completed the exploration phase, stating, "We cannot always be in a period of exploration," and points out that the current integration of rural construction and Web3 has already had an impact, "It's time to do something about the integration of rural construction and Web3."
My feelings
As I write this conclusion, I have finished my life and research in Nantang. If I were to say what I gained during this time, I think it is some genuine and profound feelings. In analyzing the holding amounts of Nantang DAO members, I deeply realize that the significance of data analysis is no longer limited to "significant differences", but rather the vivid stories behind each change in data. I witnessed many people coming here with high hopes, receiving their first rewards through contributions to the community; I also saw investor Liu Bing being somewhat "forced" to grant voting rights; I was even more moved by everyone uniting to help the creditors in the countryside with practical actions. Of course, I also saw some people clearing their Nantang beans or choosing to leave the community, no longer participating in transactions. Here, I temporarily set aside the constraints of theoretical models and causal relationships, genuinely feeling the joys and sorrows of each person behind the data. Perhaps I will still be anxious about graduating with my PhD and publishing my thesis, but at least when facing this set of data, my heart is at ease.
I revisited the meaning of DAOs. At first, my interview outline was full of big topics such as organizational structure, organizational goals, and future development paths, but it may have neglected the most basic relationships between people. In the final analysis, the DAO itself may not carry any inherent meaning, decentralization may only be an ideal pursuit of human society, and the concepts of autonomy, autonomy, and automatism are also vague, like a play on words. However, when a group of people proposes to build a village in the form of a DAO, it actually embodies a value and a pursuit: the village deserves to be taken seriously, and people can better connect with each other, accomplish something together, or just have a discussion to rebuild their relationship with each other. **From this point of view, Nantang DAO may be closer to the true meaning of DAO in the countryside than Nantang DAO. Especially when the main members of Nantang DAO moved to Chengdu to develop business, Nantang DAO launched a proposal of "living well", aiming to "better organize people", which may be the deeper meaning that DAO should carry. In the interview, I asked everyone about the relationship between DAOs and the countryside - is it the DAO that needs the soil of the countryside more, or the countryside needs the technology of the DAO? I think the answer may be: the village and the DAO themselves don't need each other, what we really need is the people here and the connections they make with each other. **
In the end, although I initially came to this land with the purpose of researching DAOs, my gains far exceeded the research itself. As a cooperative volunteer, I met people from different backgrounds and with different experiences: some are determined to take root in the countryside and learn about ecological agriculture; some are tired of urban life and come to the countryside seeking solace for their souls; and others, filled with confusion and questions, attempt to find direction in life through the intertwining of land and community. This is a group of highly diverse individuals, hailing from all corners of the country—from Guangzhou to Liaoning, from Guizhou to Zhejiang; among them are billionaires as well as those in debt; there are postdoctoral researchers from top universities in Hong Kong, and farmers who toil in the fields. Why have they come here? I believe it is the open and inclusive soil, the residents' reverence for rules and order, and the shared, undiminished glow of idealism in their hearts.
Thanks to Liu Bing Ge, Biao Ge, Tiao, Yu Xing, Bi Bing, Pian Pian, Shu Hui, Xiao Bai, Jian Qiao, Yang Zhen, Fang Fang, Cikey, Creditor Liu Da Ye, Creditor Chang Da Ye, thank you for being willing to chat with me, sharing the stories and their feelings here. Thanks to Zhang Dong, Gan Yu, Bao Shi, Ke Yi, Zhao Lin, Jia Le, Han Bai, Wen Liang, and Jing Yi for living and sharing life with me, spending a fulfilling time together.
He Huili, Xu Hancheng, Wang Sixian. Dialogue with Rural Builders: The Real Journey of the Ideal Rural Community ###. Beijing: People's Oriental Publishing House, 2023: 277-295
The concept of "alternative currency" can be traced back to Canada in the 1980s, initially initiated by progressive intellectuals as a social experiment tool to address economic inequality and financial exclusion. Its core idea is to create a medium of value exchange independent of the traditional financial system, serving vulnerable groups who have difficulty accessing conventional currency, and exploring a more inclusive economic model.
Zhou Xueguang. Ten Lectures on Organizational Sociology [M]. Social Science Academic Press, 2003.
The content is for reference only, not a solicitation or offer. No investment, tax, or legal advice provided. See Disclaimer for more risks disclosure.
Nantang DAO Chronicles (Part Two)
Author: Fan Jia, PhD student at the School of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, Eurybia researcher.
Preface
In March 2025, with the support of my doctoral supervisor Professor Liu Xiaofan at City University of Hong Kong, I conducted a field research in Sanxing Village (formerly Nantang Village) in Sanhe Town, Fuyang City, Anhui Province for a period of one and a half months. During this time, I conducted in-depth interviews with 14 respondents, including core members of Nantang DAO, local agricultural cooperative employees, and villagers, and participated in the Nantang DAO novice program, daily affairs of the Nantang Agricultural Cooperative, and the Nantang DAO translation team. Although the time was short, I had many reflections. I observed the efforts of local partners to put the ideals of DAO into practice, as well as the many challenges faced by pioneers in the rural construction DAO sector. These issues are both unique and reflect some common difficulties in the current development of DAOs.
The "Nantang DAO Chronicles" series is divided into seven parts—Birth, Assembly and Conflict, What is the Goal, Experiments in Incentives and Circulation, Is It Decentralized Enough, Paving a Path Forward, and Written in the End. These words aim to objectively record the stories of change seekers in this land—the ideal glimmer dedicated to rural construction, the frustrations and perseverance in practice, and the most authentic human connections. If these stories can resonate with more people's hearts or provide some inspiration for rural builders and Web3 explorers, then that is its value.
Past links (Part One and Two)
Previous links (Part Three, Four, Five)
This section is Part Six and Seven, focusing on the development direction of Nantan DAO, discussing thoughts on the integration of rural construction and Web3, presenting the visions of various members, as well as their genuine insights from local practice.
Find a way out
The story of Nantang DAO continues. Despite facing numerous challenges, everything is still happening naturally and continuously emerging. The community is exploring its way forward through trial and error, digging for new possibilities in the pursuit of change. Some core members have traveled to Jianta Village in Pujiang County, Chengdu, attempting to launch new projects, trying to find the true intersection of "rural development and Web3" to build a "rural entrepreneurship DAO." Meanwhile, Tiao chose to stay in Nantang, proposing the initiative of "living well," by organizing local young people to conduct blockchain co-learning, band activities, and other efforts to continuously deepen the community. One side explores outward, while the other takes root locally; the two paths run parallel without conflict. Paving a new road is always full of hardships, but as I love to quote: "Pessimists are often right, but optimists keep moving forward." The optimists of Nantang DAO are writing their own answers through action.
Attract more professionals
Talent is the cornerstone of any organization's development. **Cikey has reflected that Nantang DAO failed to effectively attract "talents who truly understand blockchain and Web3" in the early days of its establishment, and the early members generally lacked mature experience in rural construction, so the community took many detours in exploration. Fortunately, the community has recognized this shortcoming and has taken a series of improvement measures. At present, Nantang DAO plans to invite senior experts in the industry to form a "Nantang DAO Governance Steering Group" to provide professional mediation for internal disputes and output systematic suggestions for the strategic direction of each quarter. In addition, through the "Rural Construction Web3 Bilateral Enlightenment Program", community members have participated in Web3 activities at home and abroad for many times, and walked into colleges and universities to preach, which not only improved their professional quality, but also attracted more professionals who are passionate about Web3 and rural construction to join. This two-way interaction opens up new horizons for talent acquisition. It's exciting to see that new members are joining in all the time to breathe new life into the community. Some of them are good at artistic creation and can add creativity to rural cultural activities; Some are proficient in brand promotion and provide support for the external communication of Nantang DAO; Others have made great achievements in the field of organizational research and contributed wisdom to the optimization of community governance mechanisms. These new members not only bring professional skills, but also open up more possibilities for the future development of Nantang DAO.
Facing the world, drawing on experience
What are the real needs of the countryside? Can Web3**** inject new momentum into rural development? How to implement DAO is not only a topic for Nantang, but also a common challenge for the world. **Nantang DAO has investigated a number of international DAO cases, many of which are closely related to rural construction. For example, in response to the post-earthquake reconstruction and aging population, Japan's Yamakoshi Village launched "Nishikigoi NFT" with a local specialty "koi" as the core, and regarded NFT holders as "digital villagers". The resulting DAO community has attracted more than 1,750 members from around the world to raise funds to support sustainable development in the region. While this model doesn't employ typical DAO elements such as smart contracts or on-chain vaults, it does solve local problems. The experience of Shanguzhi Village is quite inspiring for Nantang DAO. Recently, Shanguzhi Village has further put forward the idea of "two-layer DAO-driven governance revolution": using the Valley Zhi DAO as the carrier to realize the co-governance of physical villagers and digital villagers, and make decisions through Snapshot voting; At the same time, the worldtalk DAO is used as a platform to promote cross-regional collaboration (such as Shiiba Village and Tenryu Gorge) to build a "LocalDAO network". This model is similar to the current development path of Nantang DAO, and it should be able to provide a valuable reference for it. **
Another related case is CabinDAO — a decentralized autonomous organization dedicated to building network cities through community collaboration and technological innovation. Its development process is divided into four stages: the Creator Era from 2020 to 2021, establishing "Creator Cabins" as a funding project for creator residencies; from 2021 to 2022, as DAOs flourished, Cabin also began to enter the DAO service provider stage, during which the community created numerous DAO media brands and developed DAO tools such as on-chain and physical passport systems aimed at online communities; from 2022 to 2023, as the cryptocurrency market became turbulent, the community began to significantly reduce the DAO team and focus on creating natural communities for digital nomads and building a global co-living network; starting in early 2024, the team's keywords transformed into "family community," and the team decided to establish deeper connections with local communities. They launched the Neighborhood Accelerator program and proposed to create a community where people live near friends and collectively raise children.
What is worth referencing and reflecting on is that after several years of continuous exploration, the Cabin team believes it is more suitable as a loose community network rather than a startup or DAO. On May 8, 2025, Cabin officially announced its dissolution on the X platform, deciding to give up DAO grants and commercialization projects, and to shift towards a purely community-driven network. This decision stemmed from reflections on the different models of entrepreneurship, DAO, and community networks: "Venture-capital-backed startups are best suited for small, focused teams that can pivot quickly and seek short-term financially viable high-growth business opportunities. DAOs are most suitable as a trusted neutral governance mechanism for distributing ecosystem grants from existing cash flow protocols. Community-driven networks are best suited to serve as loosely connected organizations that allow many individuals to independently explore adjacent paths and build what they find most interesting and valuable." For practitioners of rural construction DAOs, how to find the positioning of DAOs in rural communities and what value DAOs can bring to local communities is undoubtedly a common proposition faced by the world.
Deeply rooted in the local area, seeking advantages
While learning from global pioneers, how to take root locally needs to be based on in-depth research and analysis of local realities. Nantang DAO needs to comprehensively assess local resources such as economy, human resources, spiritual culture, politics, social capital, geographical location, and natural environment in order to formulate practical goals and action plans.
Nantang Village is known for its historical experience of democratic governance, and social attention is the biggest advantage of this land. Looking back at the history of Nantang, we can find that the desire for democracy and rights here has never stopped, and its important historical nodes have always resonated with the advanced organizational concepts in the environment of the great era-From the end of 1990 to the beginning of 2000, the citizens' movement surged, the movement of human rights lawyers and the environmental protection movement began to rise, and citizens were able to protect their rights and interests through legal means and collective action. Nantang also began to organize peasants to defend their rights, promote grassroots elections and implement villagers' self-government. From 2003 to 2004, the goal of peasant organization gradually shifted from rights protection to construction. As Yang Yunbiao said: "In the past, we defended our rights from a confrontational perspective, but after the establishment of cooperatives, our daily work is to defend our rights with livelihood development, cultural construction, and the construction of rural autonomy." 4 Later, in the process of peasant organization, he borrowed from Western civilization, introduced rules of procedure, and realized the localization of advanced governance concepts (2008), and the economic and cultural undertakings of the village achieved rapid development during this period. Yang Yunbiao once pointed out in the dialogue on rural construction: "Rural revitalization is not a simple industrial revitalization and organizational revitalization, but we must return to the 'revitalization of people', and think about how to make people live with a smile and dignity." 5** Today, the establishment of Nantang DAO continues the tradition of organizational innovation, marking the latest attempt to integrate local ethics with modern civilization.
From advocacy organizations to meeting rules, from cooperatives to Nantang DAO, Nantang has tried different forms of democratic governance over the past 30 years. However, it is important to realize that regardless of how innovative the organizational form is, the key lies in whether it focuses on "human connections" and whether it addresses the fundamental needs of local farmers. It is reassuring that the various attempts made in the past and those currently underway have already produced a good "linkage" effect. After living and learning together for some time, some wonderful chemical reactions are quietly occurring between DAO members and cooperative members. During field visits, I observed that local youth, when faced with the division of labor issue in collective cooking, proactively applied Robert's Rules of Order to efficiently negotiate and reach a consensus through "motions" and "reconsiderations." I also sensed the budding awareness of equality among local youth; they are starting to organize spontaneously to collectively think about issues such as the lack of transparency in decision-making, unclear responsibilities and rights, and ambiguous rules in local work and life affairs. This emergence of independent thinking and critical spirit will be a valuable asset for the future development of Nantang. On another front, cooperatives are also broadening their horizons, planning to create a "third space" to serve digital nomads, connecting with a wider group of young people. Based on seeing each other's needs and working in a mutually respectful manner, this may be a driving force for the emergence of new possibilities in this land.
Written at the end
Despite the conflict, the integration of rural construction and Web3 is promising. After the baptism of time and practice, the two sides are expected to reach a consensus in the conflict and form a governance model that takes into account individual autonomy and collective cooperation. In the future development, while promoting the technology and governance model of Web3, Nantang DAO needs to be rooted in the cultural soil of the countryside and the vital interests of the villagers, focusing on solving the most fundamental needs of the countryside, so that the new digital technology can truly touch the soul of the rural society. **
How to view the exploration of DAO in the countryside?
Rural construction and DAO are like two originally intersecting circles: rural construction carries the practice and sentiment of revitalizing the countryside, while DAO reshapes trust and collaboration mechanisms with a decentralized technological concept. In recent years, these two fields have begun to intersect, attracting Web3 practitioners committed to the countryside and rural construction enthusiasts eager to embrace new technologies. However, due to the short duration of contact and differences in values and cultural backgrounds, this intersection inevitably generates friction, including the collision between decentralized autonomy logic and rural collectivism culture, as well as the adjustment between external concepts and local traditions.
The core issue lies in how the DAO as a new organizational form can find its scope of action and capacity boundaries within the rural governance structure. Taking the practice of Nantan DAO as an example, if the issuance of Nantan beans is merely a digital replica of the traditional rural governance points system (such as the work point system), and its usability, ease of use, and even the ability to surpass other existing "alternative currencies" 6; if token-based voting is simply a direct democracy transferred to the Web3 digital platform, but effectively excludes villagers from the democratic decision-making process, to what extent can we expect this so-called organizational "innovation" to bring change to rural society?** Although these questions are embodied in the specific case of Nantan DAO, they are actually a universal inquiry for all future rural construction DAOs or similar organizations.**
Moreover, it must be acknowledged that DAO is not the ultimate answer to all organizational governance issues. No organizational design is perfect, and the trade-offs and choices in the governance process are key for organizations to address sustainable development challenges. 7 Different organizational forms have their pros and cons, and they coexist rather than replace each other. If we view decentralization and autonomy as a spectrum, various historical organizations, as well as different developmental stages of the same organization, are positioned at different points along this spectrum. Many failures of DAOs stem from a lack of sufficient understanding of this issue, wanting to run business projects and finding that a more centralized approach works better. They want to allocate funds through a DAO but often the majority are not the beneficiaries, and economic gains are frequently monopolized by a minority. Some DAOs that focus on building community networks find that after a period of operation, they seem unable to find their place as a DAO. A vivid example is when the Uniswap Foundation, during a vote, decided to provide $165 million in liquidity mining rewards for Uniswap v4 and Unichain, which sparked anger within the DAO. Members questioned why the foundation had to spend money while the centralized entity Uniswap Labs ( made millions from front-end fees?** 8
Therefore, rather than pursuing the establishment of a perfect DAO, practitioners in rural construction should consider and explore some practical issues: Under what circumstances is it necessary to organize personnel in a DAO manner? Where are the boundaries of a DAO? In a DAO, which decisions are suitable for "collective brainstorming," and which need to be "finalized once and for all"? Although these questions may not have standard answers, and a true DAO may never be realized in the real world, idealists can take comfort in the fact that the core values pursued by DAOs are the true driving force behind the continuous optimization of human organizational forms.
) Is a decentralized governance model suitable for Nantang?
Nantang does not necessarily need anexternal DAO**,**** but the concept of DAO—transparency, participation, decentralization—can undoubtedly inspire the governance of cooperatives.** By drawing on such external experiences, Nantang can gradually introduce decentralized governance mechanisms while preserving its own characteristics, thereby achieving more resilient and inclusive development. Taking the mutual aid funding project as an example, some villagers expressed dissatisfaction with the cooperative's investment in "local worthies" during interviews. If a decentralized decision-making mechanism had been introduced at that time, where villagers could vote to collectively decide the direction of funds, it might have prevented or mitigated the tragedy. Even if the villagers' dissatisfaction may be seen as hindsight, this sentiment reflects the community's sense of alienation from the decision-making process.** Decentralized governance can not only enhance the sense of participation among community members but also improve the fairness and rationality of decisions by distributing risks.**
Moreover, during the field observation, I felt that the current operating model of the cooperative is affecting every aspect, including the intern program, presenting an awkward intermediate state: it lacks the rigorous rules and efficient execution of corporate enterprises, and does not possess the vitality that emerges from self-organized communities. In this case, Nantang needs to make a choice between hierarchical and decentralized structures. One option is to fully adopt a hierarchical system, clearly defining Biao Ge's role as CEO and Liu Bing as a director and investor, establishing a clear decision-making chain; the other option is to attempt a multi-centered operation, delegating decision-making power for small projects to interns or formal employees, while Biao Ge and Bing Ge focus on providing resource support. This approach can stimulate the team's creativity while retaining the necessary coordination and support.
NantangDAOpartners****expectations
The last question I asked during the interview was about everyone’s expectations for the future of Nantang DAO and their views on the next steps for development. Below are some members' responses:
Bibi emphasizes continuous change and openness, encouraging more people to participate in promoting the development of the Nantang DAO. "Change is inevitable. We must constantly seek change and then continue to explore new battlefields." He believes it is necessary to integrate different groups of people, "to bring two different types of people together to work towards a common goal, which itself is a significant challenge; afterwards, we need to enhance our influence through increased participation, making more people aware of what we are doing and then attracting more people in."
Biao Ge expressed confidence in the future, emphasizing the core role of people, and hopes that Nantang DAO focuses on practical actions. He earnestly said, "It is not that I hope Nantang DAO will disappear, as I am also a beneficiary," but rather that I hope "they do some practical things." He believes that everyone should "take good care of their physical and mental health, and manage their lives well. If the Web3 partners ruin their bodies, become depressed, and cannot even eat properly, then what is the significance of Web3?"
Cikey said he hopes everyone "lives happily and plays happily. At least this narrative can be shared and can nourish people. Do some practical things. Being able to do something in the countryside is a good thing after all."
One feels that we should "do some local things, still down-to-earth, not too ethereal."
Tiao stated that he "cannot identify with the Nantan DAO; from the very beginning, we were not a team." He said, "I might need to trust someone to get things done, but some people may not have established a trusting relationship at all." He believes that the "best-case scenario for Nantan DAO would be to become a funding distribution platform," while on the specific operational level, it is "more suitable** to**** form**** project groups**** to**** build**** closer teams to**** promote**."
Xiao Bai expressed concerns about the current situation of Nantang DAO but remains open to possible collaboration and development. "Many members of Nantang DAO believe it is no longer suitable to stay in Nantang. To be honest, I am a bit worried, but there may also be issues of division later on." He hopes that Yunxiang DAO can become a partner with a vision similar to that of Nantang DAO, "Cooperating with each other is a very good thing, I think," but he opposes describing this relationship as "incubation."
Yu Xing focuses on reducing internal friction and promoting the integration of Web3 with rural construction, entering a substantial stage. "Let those who want to get things done not get caught up in arguments; in a more orderly environment, we can truly do some Web3-related work." He believes that Nantang DAO has completed the exploration phase, stating, "We cannot always be in a period of exploration," and points out that the current integration of rural construction and Web3 has already had an impact, "It's time to do something about the integration of rural construction and Web3."
My feelings
As I write this conclusion, I have finished my life and research in Nantang. If I were to say what I gained during this time, I think it is some genuine and profound feelings. In analyzing the holding amounts of Nantang DAO members, I deeply realize that the significance of data analysis is no longer limited to "significant differences", but rather the vivid stories behind each change in data. I witnessed many people coming here with high hopes, receiving their first rewards through contributions to the community; I also saw investor Liu Bing being somewhat "forced" to grant voting rights; I was even more moved by everyone uniting to help the creditors in the countryside with practical actions. Of course, I also saw some people clearing their Nantang beans or choosing to leave the community, no longer participating in transactions. Here, I temporarily set aside the constraints of theoretical models and causal relationships, genuinely feeling the joys and sorrows of each person behind the data. Perhaps I will still be anxious about graduating with my PhD and publishing my thesis, but at least when facing this set of data, my heart is at ease.
I revisited the meaning of DAOs. At first, my interview outline was full of big topics such as organizational structure, organizational goals, and future development paths, but it may have neglected the most basic relationships between people. In the final analysis, the DAO itself may not carry any inherent meaning, decentralization may only be an ideal pursuit of human society, and the concepts of autonomy, autonomy, and automatism are also vague, like a play on words. However, when a group of people proposes to build a village in the form of a DAO, it actually embodies a value and a pursuit: the village deserves to be taken seriously, and people can better connect with each other, accomplish something together, or just have a discussion to rebuild their relationship with each other. **From this point of view, Nantang DAO may be closer to the true meaning of DAO in the countryside than Nantang DAO. Especially when the main members of Nantang DAO moved to Chengdu to develop business, Nantang DAO launched a proposal of "living well", aiming to "better organize people", which may be the deeper meaning that DAO should carry. In the interview, I asked everyone about the relationship between DAOs and the countryside - is it the DAO that needs the soil of the countryside more, or the countryside needs the technology of the DAO? I think the answer may be: the village and the DAO themselves don't need each other, what we really need is the people here and the connections they make with each other. **
In the end, although I initially came to this land with the purpose of researching DAOs, my gains far exceeded the research itself. As a cooperative volunteer, I met people from different backgrounds and with different experiences: some are determined to take root in the countryside and learn about ecological agriculture; some are tired of urban life and come to the countryside seeking solace for their souls; and others, filled with confusion and questions, attempt to find direction in life through the intertwining of land and community. This is a group of highly diverse individuals, hailing from all corners of the country—from Guangzhou to Liaoning, from Guizhou to Zhejiang; among them are billionaires as well as those in debt; there are postdoctoral researchers from top universities in Hong Kong, and farmers who toil in the fields. Why have they come here? I believe it is the open and inclusive soil, the residents' reverence for rules and order, and the shared, undiminished glow of idealism in their hearts.
Thanks to Liu Bing Ge, Biao Ge, Tiao, Yu Xing, Bi Bing, Pian Pian, Shu Hui, Xiao Bai, Jian Qiao, Yang Zhen, Fang Fang, Cikey, Creditor Liu Da Ye, Creditor Chang Da Ye, thank you for being willing to chat with me, sharing the stories and their feelings here. Thanks to Zhang Dong, Gan Yu, Bao Shi, Ke Yi, Zhao Lin, Jia Le, Han Bai, Wen Liang, and Jing Yi for living and sharing life with me, spending a fulfilling time together.
Notes and References