In the small village of Manhe in Jilin province – a real-life winter wonderland, where temperatures can fall to 30 degrees Celsius below zero – the townsfolk have been making use of livestreaming to showcase their local produce, from wood ear mushrooms cultivated on the mountains to pickled vegetables and local honey products. The village currently has 33 Taobao stores and 17 livestreamers, including 53-year-old Zhou Yuhong, a beekeeper who uses the online video tool to share his products with countless online shoppers.
During Spring Festival, the products from Zhou and other local residents will make their way to the New Year spreads of consumers all across China. Through livestreaming and e-commerce, Manhe’s residents have been able to share their local specialties with different parts of the country and have lifted themselves out of poverty as a result.
