Village official turns to word of mouth to boost tomato sales

Amid a spring breeze in late March, fields across Dongshaoqu village in Miyun district, Beijing, were alive with ploughing, sowing a promise of abundance.

In the village's greenhouses, however, the harvest was already underway. The scent of strawberries filled the air, while ripe tomatoes shone in vibrant red.

Jia Hailian, 61, was tending her plants inside a greenhouse when a familiar voice called out through rows of tomato vines, "Hi, Hailian, it's me!" It was Li Quansheng, the village's first Party secretary.

Formerly director of the Department of PE and Research at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Li arrived here in January 2024 for a two-year posting, determined to inject new vitality into the village.

Li Quansheng (left) talks with farmer Jia Hailian at a greenhouse in Dongshaoqu village, Dongshaoqu town, Miyun district, Beijing. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Rong)

As he helped with the harvest, Li asked about sales. "The yield is good, but prices are low. The market is very competitive," Jia said.

Jia's greenhouse uses carefully prepared soil, and the tomatoes are naturally pollinated by bumblebees, producing fruit that is thin-skinned, juicy and rich in flavor. Yet good quality hasn't translated into strong sales, with limited market access holding them back.

Li originally suggested livestreaming as a way to boost sales, but most growers were elderly and unfamiliar with online platforms. Bringing in professional hosts was relatively costly, so the idea was shelved.

With the issue still on his mind, Li took a more hands-on approach. He bought over a dozen boxes of tomatoes, shared them with family and friends and spread the word.

The results were gradual but tangible, with tomato sales slowly picking up. New customers returned; loyal ones brought friends; even Li's students helped spread the word. A growing word-of-mouth network emerged.

In Dongshaoqu, this tomato-centered relay race to support farmers has just started. It's ready for more Party members to carry the baton forward, charting fresh paths for the village's brighter future.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, more than 3.5 million officials have been dispatched to villages as first Party secretaries or members of work teams, supporting poverty alleviation and advancing rural revitalization. They come from government departments, public institutions and state-owned enterprises at all levels.