Nantang DAO Notes (Part 2)

Focus on the development direction of the Nan Tang DAO, discuss thoughts on the integration of rural construction and Web3, present the visions of each member, as well as their real insights from local practices.

Written by: Fan Jia, PhD student at the School of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, Eurybia researcher

Foreword

**In March 2025, with the support of the City University of Hong Kong and my doctoral supervisor, Professor Liu Xiaofan, I came to Sanxing Village (formerly Nantang Village), Sanhe Town, Fuyang City, Anhui Province for a one-and-a-half-month field research. **During this period, I conducted in-depth interviews with 14 interviewees, including core members of Nantang DAO, employees of local agricultural cooperatives, and villagers, and participated in the Nantang DAO Beginner Program, the daily affairs of Nantang Xingnong Cooperative, and the translation team of Nantang Unknown DAO. Although the time is short, there is a lot of emotion. I have not only seen the efforts of local partners to put DAO ideals into practice, but also the many challenges faced by being a pioneer in the field of rural construction DAOs. These questions are not only unique, but also reflect some common problems in the current development of DAOs.

The "Nantang DAO Chronicles" series is divided into seven parts - Birth, Gathering and Conflict, What is the Goal, Experiments in Incentives and Circulation, Is it Decentralized Enough?, Paving a Way, and Writing in the End. These words aim to objectively record the stories of change-makers on this land - the ideal glimmer devoted to rural construction, the frustrations and perseverance in practice, and the most genuine interpersonal connections. If these stories can resonate with more people's hearts, or bring some inspiration to rural builders and Web3 explorers, then that is where its value lies.

This article is Part Six and Seven, focusing on the development direction of the Nantang DAO, discussing thoughts on the integration of rural construction and Web3, presenting the visions of each member, as well as their true insights from local practice.

Past Review

• "Nantang DAO Chronicles (Part One)"
• "Nantang DAO Chronicle (Part II)"

(6) Find a way out

The story of the Nantang DAO continues, and despite the challenges, everything is still happening naturally and emerging. The community explores through trial and error, and explores new possibilities through change. Some core members have gone to Jianta Village, Pujiang County, Chengdu City, to try to launch a new project, trying to find the real intersection of "rural construction and Web3" there, and build a "rural entrepreneurship DAO". At the same time, Jump chose to stay in Nantang and put forward the initiative of "living a better life"1, and continued to cultivate the community by organizing local young people to carry out blockchain learning and band activities. **One side explores outward, the other side takes root, and the two paths go hand in hand. Forging a new path is always hard, but as one of my favorite sayings, "Pessimists are often right, but optimists keep moving forward." The optimists of Nantang DAO are writing their own answers with actions. **

Attract more professionals

Talent is the cornerstone of any organization's development. **Cikey has reflected that the 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 the 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 the "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 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 give lectures, 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 the "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 regional sustainability. 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 Shan Gu Zhi Village is quite inspiring for Nantang DAO. Recently, Shanguzhi Village further proposed the idea of "two-tier 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, we will use the DAO as a platform to promote cross-regional collaboration (such as Shiiba Village and Tenryukyo) to build a "LocalDAO network". **This model is similar to the current development path of Nantang DAO and should be able to provide a valuable reference for it. **

Source: Keio University Learning Society in Japan "Understanding the Digital Villager System through the Case of Yamakoshi Village**2

Another related case is CabinDAO – a decentralized autonomous organization dedicated to building networked cities through community collaboration and technological innovation. **The development process is divided into four phases3: the creator era from 2020 to 2021, and the establishment of "Creator Cabins" as a subsidized creator residency program; From 2021 to 2022, as DAOs flourished, Cabin also began to enter the DAO service provider stage, during which the community built many DAO media brands and developed DAO tools such as on-chain and physical passport systems for the online community. In 2022-2023, with the turmoil in the crypto market, the community began to significantly scale back the DAO team and focus on building natural communities for digital nomads and building a global cohabitation network; Starting in early 2024, the team's keyword changed to "family community", and the team decided to connect with the local community on a deeper level, launching the Neighborhood Accelerator, which proposes to build a community that lives near friends and raises children together.

CabinDAO Roadmap (Source: Community Forum 4)

It is worth learning and reflecting on the fact that after several years of continuous exploration, the Cabin team believes that it is more suitable to exist as a loose community network rather than a startup or DAO. On May 8, 2025, Cabin officially announced its dissolution on the X platform5, deciding to abandon DAO grants and commercialization projects in favor of a purely community-driven network. This decision stems from a reflection on the different models of entrepreneurship, DAOs, and community networks: "Venture-backed startups are best suited for small, focused teams that can pivot quickly and look for high-growth business opportunities that are financially viable in the short term. DAOs are best suited as a credible neutral governance mechanism for allocating ecosystem allocations from existing cash flow agreements. Community-driven networks are best suited to act as loosely connected organizations, allowing many people to independently explore adjacent paths, building 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 bring to local communities is undoubtedly a common proposition faced by the whole world.

Delve into the local area to find advantages.

While learning from global pioneers, how to 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, location, and natural environment to formulate practical goals and action programs.

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 late 1990s to the early 2000s, the citizens' movement surged, the human rights lawyer movement and the environmental protection movement began to rise, and citizens were able to defend their rights and interests through legal channels 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. "6 Later, in the process of peasant organization, it borrowed from Western civilization, introduced rules of procedure, and realized the localization of advanced governance concepts (2008), during which the village's economic and cultural undertakings achieved rapid development. 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. "**7 Today, the establishment of Nantang DAO continues the tradition of organizational innovation, marking the latest attempt to integrate local ethics with modern civilization.

From rights organizations to rules of procedure, from cooperatives to Nantang DAO, the past 30 years have been turned upside down, despite the different attempts of the Nantang DAO to organize democracy. However, it is important to realize that no matter how innovative the organizational form is, the key is to focus on the "human connection" and address the fundamental needs of local farmers. **The good news is that past and ongoing attempts have had a good "link" effect, and after a period of cohabitation and learning between DAO members and cooperative members, some wonderful chemical reactions are quietly taking place. During the field trip, I observed that when faced with the problem of division of labor in collective cooking, local young people took the initiative to use Robert's rules of procedure to negotiate efficiently and form a consensus on the division of labor through "motion" and "reconsideration". I also felt the germination of the local youth's awareness of equal rights, and they began to organize themselves spontaneously to think about the problems of lack of transparency in decision-making, lack of clarity of rights and responsibilities, and lack of clarity in the rules of local work and life. The germination of this independent thinking and critical spirit will be a valuable asset for the future development of Nantang. On the other hand, cooperatives are also broadening their thinking and planning to create a "third place" for digital nomads to connect with a wider range of young people. Seeing each other's needs and doing things in a respectful way may be a source of motivation for new possibilities in this land. **

(7) Final Words

Despite conflicts, the integration of rural development and Web3 holds promising prospects. Through the test of time and practice, both sides are expected to reach a consensus amidst conflicts and form a governance model that balances individual autonomy and collective collaboration. In future practices, the Nantang DAO, while promoting Web3's technology and governance models, must also be rooted in the cultural soil of the countryside and the genuine interests of the villagers, focusing on addressing the most fundamental needs of rural areas, so that new digital technologies can truly touch the soul of rural society.

How to view the exploration of DAO in rural areas?

Rural construction and DAO are like two originally tangent circles: rural construction carries the practice and feelings of rural revitalization, while DAO reshapes trust and collaboration mechanisms with decentralized technical concepts. In recent years, these two fields have begun to converge, attracting Web3 practitioners who are committed to rural areas and rural builders who are eager to embrace new technologies. However, due to the short contact time and the difference in values and cultural backgrounds, there will inevitably be friction within this intersection, including the collision of decentralized autonomy logic and rural collectivist culture, as well as the run-in of foreign ideas and local traditions. **

**The core problem is, as a new form of organization, how to find the scope of its role and capability boundary in the rural governance structure? **Taking the practice of Nantang DAO as an example, if the issuance of Nantang Dou is only a digital replica of the traditional rural governance point system (such as the labor division system), its usability and ease of use are even difficult to surpass other existing "alternative currencies"8; If token-based voting is just a direct democracy in exchange for Web3 digital platforms, but effectively excludes villagers from the democratic decision-making process, how much change can we expect this so-called organizational "innovation" to bring to rural society? **Although these questions are based on the Nantang DAO as a specific carrier, they are actually a general torture of all rural construction DAOs or similar organizations in the future. **

In addition, it must be acknowledged that DAOs are not the ultimate answer to all organizational governance questions. No organizational design is perfect, and the trade-offs and choices in the governance process are the key to meeting the challenges of sustainable development. **9 Different organizational forms have their own advantages and disadvantages, and they coexist with each other rather than replace each other. If we think of decentralization and autonomy as a spectrum, organizations throughout history, as well as at different stages of development of the same organization, are at different locations on this spectrum. **Many DAOs fail because they lack a full understanding of the problem, and if they want to do commercial projects, they find that it is better to use a more centralized approach. Allocate funds in a DAO way, but often the majority of people are not beneficiaries, and financial support is often monopolized by a few. There are some DAOs that focus on building community networks, and it seems that they can't find a place for a DAO either. A vivid example of this is the Uniswap Foundation's decision to provide $165 million in liquidity mining rewards for Uniswap v4 and Unichain during a vote, sparking outrage within the DAO. Members questioned why the Foundation was giving money while Uniswap Labs ( a centralized entity ) making millions of dollars from front-end fees? 10

Therefore, rather than pursuing the establishment of a perfect DAO, practitioners of rural construction should think about and explore some practical issues: Under what circumstances is it necessary to organize people in a DAO way? Where are the boundaries of a DAO? In a DAO, which decisions are suitable for 'brainstorming', and which require 'a final say'? 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 real driving force behind the continuous optimization of human organizational forms.

Is the decentralized governance model suitable for Nantang?

Nantang doesn't necessarily need an external DAO, but the concept of the DAO – transparency, participation, decentralization – can undoubtedly provide inspiration for the governance of cooperatives. Drawing on such external experience, Nantang can gradually introduce a decentralized governance mechanism on the basis of retaining its own characteristics, so as to achieve more resilient and inclusive development. Taking the mutual fund project as an example, some villagers expressed their dissatisfaction with the cooperative's investment in "village sages" in interviews, saying that if a decentralized decision-making mechanism had been introduced at that time, the villagers could have voted to jointly decide on the flow of funds, and perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided or mitigated. Even though the villagers' grievances may be hindsight, they reflect the community's sense of alienation from the decision-making process. **Decentralized governance can not only enhance the sense of participation of community members, but also enhance the fairness and rationality of decision-making by diversifying risks. **

In addition, during my field observations, I felt that the current mode of operation of cooperatives is affecting every aspect of the process, including the internship program, presenting an awkward in-between: ** lacks the strict regulations and efficient enforcement of a corporate enterprise, nor does it have the vitality of a self-organizing community from the bottom up. In this case, Nantang needs to choose between hierarchy and decentralization. One option is to fully adopt a hierarchical system, clarifying the role of Brother Biao as CEO and Liu Bing as a director and investor, and building a clear decision-making chain; Another option is to try a multi-centralized operation, delegating decision-making power for small projects to interns or permanent employees, while Biao and Bing focus on providing resource support. This approach stimulates the creativity of the team while retaining the necessary coordination and support.

Nantung DAO partners' expectations

The last question I interviewed was about everyone's expectations for the future of the Nantung DAO and the next development path, here are some responses from members:

Bibi emphasizes the need for continuous change and openness, encouraging more people to participate in the development of the Nantan DAO. "Change is inevitable. We must constantly seek change, and then continuously explore new battlegrounds and new ideas." He believes it is necessary to integrate different groups of people, "to bring together two different types of people and work towards a common goal, which itself is a significant challenge," and to enhance influence through increased participation, "to let more people participate, to let more people know what we are doing, and then attract more people in."

Biao Ge expressed confidence in the future, emphasizing the core role of people, and hopes that the Nantang DAO will focus on practical actions. He earnestly said, 'It is not that I wish for the Nantang DAO to perish, as I am also a beneficiary,' but rather that I hope 'they do something practical.' He believes that everyone should 'take good care of their body and mind, and manage their own life well.' If Web3 partners ruin their bodies, get depressed, and can't even eat properly, then what is the meaning 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 always a good thing.

I just feel that we should do some local things, which are still real and concrete, not too ethereal.

Jump said that he "cannot identify with the Nantang DAO. From the very beginning, we were not a team. I might need to trust someone to get things done, but some people may never establish a trusting relationship. He believes that the best case for Nantang DAO "may be to become a funding distribution platform while at the level of specific affairs, it is "more suitable to form a project team to push forward with a tighter team."

**Xiaobai expressed concern about the current state of the Nantang DAO, but was open to possible cooperation and development. **"Many members of the Nantang DAO think that it is no longer suitable to stay in Nantang, to be honest, I am a little worried, but there may be a split problem in the future". He hopes that Yunxiang DAO can become a partner with a similar vision to Nantang DAO, "I think it's a very good thing for everyone to cooperate with each other", but opposes the use of "incubation" to describe this relationship.

**Yu Xing focuses on reducing internal friction and promoting the combination of Web3 and rural construction, which has entered a substantive stage. ** Let people who want to do things not get caught up in quarrels, his fundamental goal is to isolate chaos, in a more orderly environment, you can really do some things online Web3. He believes that Nantang DAO has completed the exploration period, "we can't and can't always be in the exploration period", and pointed out that the current combination of rural construction and Web3 has been influential, "It's time for us to do something about the combination of rural construction and Web3 instead of just exploring".

My feelings

By the time I write this paragraph, I have already ended my life and investigation in Nantang. If I want to talk about what I have gained during this time, I think it is some real and profound feelings. When analyzing the holdings of Nantang DAO members, I deeply realized that the significance of data analysis is no longer limited to "significant differences", but the vivid stories behind each data change. I've seen many people come here with great anticipation and get their first incentives through their contributions to the community; I also witnessed that the funder Liu Bing was "forced" to vote to some extent; I am even more moved by the unity of everyone and the use of practical actions to help the creditors in the village. Of course, I have also seen people empty their Nantang beans or choose to leave the community and never participate in the trade again. Here, I temporarily put aside the shackles of theoretical models and causal relationships, and truly feel the joys, sorrows, and sorrows of everyone behind the data. I may still be anxious about my PhD graduation and the publication of my dissertation, but at least when faced with this set of data, my heart is steady.

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 automaticity 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 pursuit: the village deserves to be taken seriously, and people can better connect with each other, accomplish something together, or just discuss it to rebuild their relationship. 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 the Nantang DAO moved to Chengdu to develop their business, the Nantang DAO launched a proposal of "living well", aiming to "better organize people", which may be the deeper meaning that the DAO should carry. In interviews, I asked everyone about the relationship between DAOs and the countryside – does the DAO need the soil of the countryside more, or does the countryside need the technology of the DAO? I think the answer may be: the village and the DAO don't need each other per se, what we really need is the people here and the connections that are made between them. **

In the end, although I initially came to this land with the purpose of studying DAO, my gains far exceeded the research itself. As a volunteer in a cooperative, I met people from different backgrounds and experiences: some are determined to take root in the countryside and learn about ecological agriculture; some are tired of city life and come to the countryside seeking spiritual comfort; and others, filled with confusion and questions, try to find direction in life amidst the intertwining of land and people. This is a group of highly diverse individuals, coming from all over the country—from Guangzhou to Liaoning, from Guizhou to Zhejiang; among them are billionaires as well as those heavily in debt; there are postdoctoral researchers from top universities in Hong Kong, as well as farmers working hard in the fields. Why have they come? I think it is the open and inclusive soil here, the residents' reverence for rules and order, and the shared, undimmed glow of idealism in the hearts of these people.

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, I appreciate their willingness to chat with me, share stories and their feelings here. Thanks to Zhang Dong, Gan Yu, Bao Shi, Ke Yi, Zhao Lin, Jia Le, Han Bai, Wen Liang, Jing Yi for living and sharing time with me, making it a fulfilling period.

Local partners participate in the hackathon bonfire party (2025.3.16)

The band of the Earth Book House and the children (2025.4.13)

Morning Exercise: Web3 From the Soil (2025.4.6)

Notes and References

6. Yang Yunbiao: Operable Democracy [EB/OL]. Urbanization Network - China's Urbanization Portal, 2015-03-20 [2023-11-01].
7. He Huili, Xu Hancheng, Wang Sixian. Dialogue with Rural Builders: The Real Journey of the Ideal Country in Rural Construction [M]. Beijing: People's Oriental Publishing House, 2023: 277-295
8. "Alternative Currency" This concept can be traced back to Canada in the 1980s, initially initiated by progressive intellectuals as a social experimental 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 formal currency, and exploring more inclusive economic models.
9. Zhou Xueguang. Ten Lectures on Organizational Sociology [M]. Social Science Literature Press, 2003.