New types of farmers inject vitality into rural industries

Rural e-commerce is experiencing sustained and high-quality development, playing a crucial role in driving the growth of rural residents' income and the development of the agriculture sector. It has brought new opportunities and vitality to rural areas and become an important way to empower rural revitalization.

E-commerce livestreams have enabled specialty agricultural products to reach households far and wide. New types of farmers are actively pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams, working towards their entrepreneurial aspirations and contributing to the growth of income and prosperity.

In 2018, Zhang Guodan, a woman of the Dong ethnic group, returned to her hometown in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province and started promoting folk songs of the Dong ethnic group through short videos.

In early 2019, as a way to thank her fans, Zhang Guodan made chili sauce and filmed the process. Unexpectedly, the video quickly went viral.

Members of Zhang Guodan's team promote local products via livestreaming. (Photo/Guizhou Culture and Tourism Department)

"Many viewers said that the chili sauce looked delicious and asked me where they could buy it," Zhang Guodan said.

Encouraged by her followers, Zhang Guodan launched her first product-- the chili sauce-- on an e-commerce platform. The product sold out quickly, which made her very excited.

This achievement inspired her to utilize e-commerce platforms to sell rural specialty products and promote high-quality agricultural products from her hometown. Her goal is to assist villagers to increase their incomes.

Zhang Guodan also records the daily lives of local residents through short videos, sharing activities they participate in, such as making glutinous rice cakes, pickling fish, weaving fabrics and embroidery, and making straw shoes.

Through Zhang Guodan's short videos, netizens have gained a deeper understanding of the Dong culture.

In 2021, Zhang Zhigang from Zhangping city, southeast China's Fujian Province, started learning about e-commerce. He chose to sell locally grown green plants and flowers through livestreams and short videos. Within a few days, his store received numerous orders, sometimes selling over 10,000 orders of green plants and flowers in a day.

In the past, it was challenging for local flower farmers to sell their green plants and flowers. But now, with a smartphone, they can showcase their products to consumers through short videos, live-streaming, and other channels.

Encouraged by him, more and more flower farmers are joining the e-commerce industry, and many young people who used to work in other places are returning to their hometowns and joining the e-commerce industry.

"We grow 30,000 flower plants on 2 mu (0.13 hectares) of farmland, and we expect an annual income of 180,000 yuan ($24,653). We don't have to worry about sales anymore. We are very grateful that someone helps us sell our products nationwide through livestreaming," said Zhang Nanjin, a villager from Jiuming village of Zhangping.

Livestream anchor Lu Xiaokai is a villager from a border town in Raohe county, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. In 2019, he returned to his hometown and started to sell local specialty products through live-streaming.

"Platforms like Douyin provide a stage for rural people to develop. I feel like I've caught a great opportunity," he said.

Lu took it upon himself to assist farmers to sell their products through live-streaming, dedicated to promoting the sales of natural farm products.

By leveraging short videos and livestreams, he has helped local agricultural products reach a broader market. He also collaborated with local enterprises.

Data shows that in the first half of 2023, online retail sales in China's rural areas rose 12.5 percent year-on-year to reach 1.12 trillion yuan.