Livestreaming journey of a shop owner in the mountains
2025-02-15 19:02:00
By Tan Maolin. Wan Chunfeng also contributed to this article.
At 7 pm, Liu Qinlian started up her regular livestreaming session on Douyin at her DIY studio in the mountainous Longtan Village, about a two and a half hour drive from downtown Yichang. Today, her broadcast is promoting smoke-cured pork trotters made by local families with an authentic, traditional approach. She puts some of the trotters in a pot and begins to boil them, filling the room with steam. “Everyone, check out these authentic smoke-cured trotters. The wood fire aroma is amazing and the taste is even better!” she says.
In the end, her session on February 12 lead to an impressive income of 1,580 yuan (US$218), which also included other items.
Liu, 52, has turned herself from a village shop owner into a livestreamer selling local produce from the mountain and community. “This journey hasn’t been easy, but there’s a lot of fulfillment in the hard work," she said. Liu never anticipated that she could adapt to modern trends at this later stage in her life.
Operating a small store in the village for many years, Liu's shop served as a “shopping mall” for local agricultural products. Villagers would often bring their tea, honey, potatoes, and other specialties to sell at her store.
A casual try convinced Liu to venture into livestreaming sales. Last year, after posting a video of locally produced honey on Douyin, she eventually sold 18.5 kilograms and earned more than 4,000 yuan (US$551). From another short video, she sold over 1,000 kilograms of small chestnuts on behalf of local villagers.
Determined to find more sales channels for local specialties, Liu fully committed to learning about livestreaming. She followed online tutorials and invested 5,000 yuan in professional training while spending over 40,000 yuan on equipment. In July 2024, she embarked fully on this journey.
Initially focusing on local agricultural products, Liu visited farmers at their homes to collect items to sell, ensuring they were high quality. After each livestream session, she meticulously analyzed data and fulfilled orders by carefully packaging and shipping products. Within six months, she helped local villagers achieve over 3,000 yuan per household on average. She also supported disabled and elderly villagers by purchasing their reliable local specialties.
Today, Liu's Douyin account has reached nearly 10,000 followers and generated over 200,000 yuan in sales since beginning. In the days leading up to the Chinese New Year, consumer orders through both online and offline channels exceeded 50,000 yuan for various mountain goods, including bacon and lamb trotters.
At 7 pm, Liu Qinlian started up her regular livestreaming session on Douyin at her DIY studio in the mountainous Longtan Village, about a two and a half hour drive from downtown Yichang. Today, her broadcast is promoting smoke-cured pork trotters made by local families with an authentic, traditional approach. She puts some of the trotters in a pot and begins to boil them, filling the room with steam. “Everyone, check out these authentic smoke-cured trotters. The wood fire aroma is amazing and the taste is even better!” she says.
In the end, her session on February 12 lead to an impressive income of 1,580 yuan (US$218), which also included other items.
Liu, 52, has turned herself from a village shop owner into a livestreamer selling local produce from the mountain and community. “This journey hasn’t been easy, but there’s a lot of fulfillment in the hard work," she said. Liu never anticipated that she could adapt to modern trends at this later stage in her life.
Operating a small store in the village for many years, Liu's shop served as a “shopping mall” for local agricultural products. Villagers would often bring their tea, honey, potatoes, and other specialties to sell at her store.
A casual try convinced Liu to venture into livestreaming sales. Last year, after posting a video of locally produced honey on Douyin, she eventually sold 18.5 kilograms and earned more than 4,000 yuan (US$551). From another short video, she sold over 1,000 kilograms of small chestnuts on behalf of local villagers.
Determined to find more sales channels for local specialties, Liu fully committed to learning about livestreaming. She followed online tutorials and invested 5,000 yuan in professional training while spending over 40,000 yuan on equipment. In July 2024, she embarked fully on this journey.
Initially focusing on local agricultural products, Liu visited farmers at their homes to collect items to sell, ensuring they were high quality. After each livestream session, she meticulously analyzed data and fulfilled orders by carefully packaging and shipping products. Within six months, she helped local villagers achieve over 3,000 yuan per household on average. She also supported disabled and elderly villagers by purchasing their reliable local specialties.
Today, Liu's Douyin account has reached nearly 10,000 followers and generated over 200,000 yuan in sales since beginning. In the days leading up to the Chinese New Year, consumer orders through both online and offline channels exceeded 50,000 yuan for various mountain goods, including bacon and lamb trotters.
