Young Chinese boost rural development (2)

Xia Meixiong, a livestream anchor, prepares goods for online sale in Xiadang Township of Ningde, southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Ruiqing)

As a livestream anchor, 33-year-old Xia Meixiong operates a channel on the short video platform Douyin, helping villagers sell farm specialties online and posting short videos showing the natural scenery of Xiadang Township of the city of Ningde in Fujian.

Xia graduated from Fujian Polytechnic School in 2007 and used to work in the construction industry in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. He went to Xiadang to start a business in 2020 after seeing the booming development of the township, which shook off poverty in 2018.

"In two years, we already have about 70,000 followers on our two accounts on Douyin. Last year(In 2021), our livestream sales surpassed 1.7 million yuan (246,000 U.S. dollars)," Xia said.

"Tea sales in Beikengshan Village were not good. Through our livestream room, the online sales of the whole village surpassed 200,000 yuan last year (In 2021)," Xia added.Xia and his team have also opened a farmhouse restaurant in Xiadang that saw a turnover of over 900,000 yuan in 2021.