Livestreams see edible fungi sales mushroom
In recent years, livestream sales have become big business, accompanied by the rise of several celebrity hosts who make millions every year selling products via outfits such as Taobao, China's biggest e-commerce sales platform.
One May afternoon, shortly after He Jinyi started livestreaming and selling agricultural produce in Jinmi, a village in Zhashui county, Shaanxi province, a villager unexpectedly appeared in front of the camera.
He Jinyi, a livestreaming saleswoman, discusses black fungus during an online broadcast at an exhibition center in Jinmi on July 21. [Photo/China News Service]
Usually the farmers are too shy to show their faces, but this man was happy to be filmed as he worked, tending to the black fungus, an edible mushroom, he was cultivating.
Having started in spring last year, the use of livestreams to sell produce is still a novelty in the village, which is located in the region of the Qinling-Bashan mountains.
Walking around some greenhouses, He occasionally entered and used her phone and a holder to show the audience how the black fungus is cultivated.
"I feel very happy because it's great that the fungi growers have acknowledged the camera and gained a sense of livestreaming their products, which has boosted my confidence in joining the sector," the 26-year-old said.
In April last year, the law graduate from Northwest University of Political Science and Law in Xi'an, the provincial capital, joined the five-strong livestreaming team at Qinling Tianxia, an e-commerce company based in Zhashui, Shangluo city.
She joined the company, which sells the fungi, in 2016 when she graduated from college.
Booming trend
In recent years, livestream sales have become big business, accompanied by the rise of several celebrity hosts who make millions every year selling products via outfits such as Taobao, China's biggest e-commerce sales platform.
Unlike traditional TV sales, livestreams are usually conducted via mobile phones.
The format allows hosts to engage with audiences in real time and gives viewers a chance to make requests or comment about the goods being sold, fostering a sense of participation.
Having started in 2015, China's livestreaming craze developed gradually from the eastern regions to the middle and west.
Many places nationwide, especially rural areas, began promoting and selling local produce, prompting young people like He to undergo training to sell agricultural goods via multiple platforms.
A report by the Forward Industry Research Institute in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, said the scale of China's livestreaming e-commerce market is expected to reach 961 billion yuan ($139 billion) this year, a rise of 128 percent year-on-year. It also estimated that the number of livestream users will reach 550 million by the end of December.
Livestream sales platforms have provided new opportunities for a number of poverty-stricken areas, driving local economic development in new ways.
