Reporter's log: Livestreaming, e-commerce play crucial role in Gansu's poverty alleviation drive

Zheng Jiacheng has increased his income by a whopping 1,900 percent thanks to a local government program that teaches residents to use the internet to expand their businesses and reach new customers across China. [Photo by Matthew Bossons for chinadaily.com]

After lunch, I join Zhang for a livestreaming session in his apple orchard to see how he plies his trade. While livesteaming is more commonly associated with teens and young adults, dancing and singing, makeup tutorials and the like, Zhang quickly demonstrates that – with the right training – people of any age can master the medium and use it to make money.

Within minutes of launching Taobao's livestreaming feature, the apple orchardist has an audience of more than 2,000 netizens, captivating them with information about his agricultural project, as well as the taste profile of his apples and their health benefits. (You know what they say, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!")

He's animated in his delivery, and his passion for his work is evident. He quickly sells a box of 24 apples.

When I ask Zhang what he took away from the local government's training courses, he tells me, "How to use the Taobao app. I didn't know how to use it before [the training]." He adds that the classes also helped him master livestreaming, a notable achievement for a man who was in his mid-50s when the medium gained popularity.

Li county is not the only place in Longnan that is utilizing technology to help its residents attain better living standards. In Wudu district, businesses and producers use livestreaming and e-commerce to sell local products, including virgin olive oil made with locally grown olives and the area's Sichuan peppercorn crops.

Further north, in Gansu's Linxia city, artisans manufacturing traditional carved bricks are keen to use livestreaming to introduce their work to people across China and worldwide.