Livestreaming breathes new life into rural industries

直播为乡村产业注入新活力

China had 20.074 million rural e-commerce businesses by the end of 2025, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

根据中国商务部的数据，到2025年底，中国农村电子商务企业将达到2007.4万家。

Village-based livestreamers are bridging the gap between farms and consumers, boosting rural tourism, expanding sales channels for agricultural products, and helping local residents increase their incomes. In 2025, China's rural online retail sales surpassed 3 trillion yuan (about $441.46 billion) for the first time.

乡村主播正在成为连接农户与消费者的桥梁，推动乡村旅游发展，拓宽农产品销售渠道，帮助当地居民增收。2025年，中国农村网络零售额首次突破3万亿元人民币（约合4414.6亿美元）。

A woman sells bonsai during a livestreaming session in Dongcao village, Tong'an township, Yifeng county, Yichun city, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo/He Jianlai)

江西省宜春市宜丰县同安乡东曹村，一名妇女在直播中出售盆景。（图/何剑来）

Early in the morning, Liu Yong from Yangbu village, Babao town, Kaiyuan city, northeast China's Liaoning Province, grabbed his phone and headed to the pigpen, aiming the camera at a litter of piglets.

清晨，辽宁省开原市八宝镇杨堡村的刘永拿起手机走向猪圈，将镜头对准一窝刚出生的小猪崽。

"The first three to seven days after birth are critical. We need to make sure they get enough colostrum, stay warm, and are protected from crushing and disease," he said. After editing, he uploaded the video, which quickly received numerous likes.

"出生后头三到七天是关键期，要确保它们吃到足够初乳、保暖到位，还要防止被压和生病。"他边说边录制。剪辑后上传视频，很快获得大量点赞。

When he joined various short video platforms in 2019, Liu noticed that many livestock-focused livestreamers were popular. Motivated, he recorded a one-minute, single-take video on piglet care, which quickly surpassed 200,000 views. From then on, Liu documented piglet growth daily and shared farming tips.

2019年开始接触各类短视频平台时，刘永发现许多养殖类主播很受欢迎。受到鼓舞后，他录制了一条关于仔猪护理的一镜到底视频，时长仅一分钟，播放量迅速突破20万。从那时起，刘永每天记录小猪成长过程，分享养殖经验。

Watching livestreams on agriculture allows farmers to learn production techniques quickly and at almost no cost. Short video platform Kuaishou, for example, amassed 140 million users interested in agriculture, rural areas and farmers over the past year, according to a report released by the platform in October 2025.

观看农业类直播让农民能够以几乎零成本快速学习生产技术。以快手为例，该平台2025年10月发布的报告显示，过去一年平台累计吸引了1.4亿名对农业、农村、农民感兴趣的用户。

He Jiandong, who has nearly 2 million followers on a short video platform, is based in Caojiazui village, Hekou town, Rongxian county, Zigong city, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

何建东在短视频平台拥有近200万粉丝，来自四川省自贡市荣县河口镇曹家嘴村。

He started his account in 2021, inspired by other creators sharing rural life. He filmed Sichuan dishes and local scenery with his grandmother, adding subtitles and music, but his early videos gained little traction.

2021年，受到其他分享乡村生活创作者的启发，他开设了自己的账号。最初他拍摄奶奶制作川菜和当地风光的视频，配上字幕和音乐，但早期作品反响平平。

One night, he stayed up late editing videos and accidentally fell while going downstairs. His grandmother, who had climbed the mountain to gather medicinal herbs, brewed some for him. He refused to drink it, complaining it was too bitter. Worried, his grandmother gave him a gentle slap. He casually recorded the incident and posted it online, and to his surprise, the next day his followers had skyrocketed from tens of thousands to over 100,000.

一天晚上，他熬夜剪辑视频，下楼时意外摔倒。奶奶上山采了草药为他熬制，他嫌苦不肯喝。奶奶心疼地轻轻拍了他一下。他随手记录下这一幕发到网上，第二天惊讶地发现粉丝从几万暴涨到十多万。

Between September 2024 and September 2025, more than 1.36 billion videos featuring rural life were uploaded to the short video platform Douyin.

2024年9月至2025年9月期间，抖音平台上共上传了超过13.6亿条展现乡村生活的视频。

After three months of posting videos, Liu tried his first livestream. Despite hoping that his hands-on experience in rural life would give him an edge, he quickly ran into trouble. With little experience managing a livestream, he struggled to keep the broadcast engaging. To make his livestreams feel more authentic, Liu moved the broadcasts to everyday farm settings, including pigsties and cattle sheds.

发布视频三个月后，刘永尝试了第一次直播。尽管希望自己在农村的实践经验能成为优势，但他很快遇到了困难。由于缺乏直播经验，他难以让直播保持吸引力。为了让直播更真实，刘永将直播场景搬到了猪圈、牛棚等日常农作环境中。

Recognizing that limited experience and technical skills are common challenges for village-based livestreamers, local authorities have stepped in.

意识到经验不足和技术欠缺是乡村主播面临的普遍挑战，地方政府纷纷伸出援手。

"We organize training in partnership with vocational colleges and e-commerce industrial parks, inviting top influencers and e-commerce experts to improve professional skills and capabilities for village-based livestreamers," said Liu Yang, deputy director of the commerce bureau of Kaiyuan. Since 2020, the city has held over 50 e-commerce training sessions, with a total attendance of more than 4,000.

"我们联合职业院校和电商产业园组织培训，邀请头部主播和电商专家，帮助乡村主播提升专业技能和能力。"开原市商务局副局长刘洋表示。2020年以来，该市已举办50多场电商培训，累计参训超4000人次。

To address talent shortages, Sichuan launched a rural talent cultivation program in 2024. Yang Guochao, director of the commerce bureau of Rongxian county, said the county has 42,000 e-commerce professionals. Among them, one village-based livestreamer has over 10 million followers, and 13 have over 1 million each.

为解决人才短缺问题，四川省于2024年启动了农村人才培养计划。荣县商务局局长杨国超介绍，全县共有4.2万名电商从业人员，其中乡村主播粉丝超千万的1人、超百万的13人。

Data from China's Ministry of Commerce show that leading e-commerce platforms hosted over 4 million agricultural livestreams in 2025.

商务部数据显示，2025年重点电商平台累计举办农产品直播超过400万场。

He Jiandong cited the short shelf life of certain products as a major challenge, pointing to leaf-wrapped glutinous rice cakes called ye'erba, a Sichuan specialty, as an example. Poor packaging, he added, often leads to deformation during transport.

何建东提到，部分农产品保质期短是主要挑战，他以四川特产叶儿粑为例。他补充说，包装不当常常导致运输过程中变形。

The commerce bureau of Rongxian county found a solution. "A food company designed compartmentalized packaging with cooling and pre-chilling to keep the cakes intact," said Yang. Now, ye'erba can travel thousands of kilometers while remaining fresh, helping He exceed 5 million yuan in annual livestream sales.

荣县商务局找到了解决方案。"一家食品公司设计了分区包装，配合冷却和预冷技术，确保糕点完好无损。"杨国超说。如今叶儿粑可长途运输数千公里仍保持新鲜，帮助何建东年直播销售额突破500万元。

For Ji Yong, a livestreamer selling bonsai from Dongcao village, Tong'an township, Yifeng county, Yichun city, east China's Jiangxi Province, logistics costs are the main headache.

对于江西省宜春市宜丰县同安乡洞曹村销售盆景的主播季勇来说，物流成本是主要难题。

"My village is remote. Sending bonsai to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, or Shanghai costs around 15 yuan per order, and over 20 yuan to Beijing," he said.

"我们村比较偏远，寄一盆盆景到江浙沪要15元左右，到北京要20多元。"他说。

In January 2025, Yifeng was designated a pilot county for Jiangxi's county-level logistics distribution system.

宜丰县商务局局长刘艳萍表示，2025年1月，宜丰被确定为江西省县级物流配送体系试点县。

"Our goal is to establish logistics hubs in the county seat, distribution stations in townships and towns, and last-mile delivery points in villages by the end of 2026," said Liu Yanping, director of the commerce bureau of Yifeng county. Once fully operational, logistics costs could drop by about 20 percent, Liu noted.

"我们的目标是到2026年底，在县城建物流中心，在乡镇设配送站，在村庄布设最后一公里配送点。"刘艳萍说，全面运营后物流成本有望下降约20%。

Dongcao village has revitalized its economy through livestreaming bonsai sales. Today, annual revenue from these livestreams exceeds 10 million yuan, and more than 500 villagers have secured jobs close to home.

洞曹村通过直播销售盆景焕发了经济活力。如今，这些直播的年销售额突破1000万元，500多名村民实现了家门口就业。