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Villagers make mark on world through e-commerce
Unlike many villagers in China whose livelihoods are based in agriculture, almost 90 percent of Junpu’s 2,800 residents switched to e-commerce around three years ago.
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Various incentives and financial facilities from the government were given to start-up companies, which encouraged others to follow suit. (Shutterstock/-)
I
span style="line-height: 1.6em;">It was around 1 p.m. but residents of Junpu, a small village in Jieyang city, southeast Guangdong province, China, had just started work.
“They are just starting their activities because many online transactions are made in the afternoon,” said Li Bo, a deputy leader of the village.
Unlike many villagers in China whose livelihoods are based in agriculture, almost 90 percent of Junpu’s 2,800 residents switched to e-commerce around three years ago.
The village was much like any other a few years ago, but things started to change when 12 of Junpu’s youngsters returned from Guangzhou to develop their own business.
“These 12 young men set up the e-commerce business in this village and it got so successful that the government started to pay attention to the village,” Li Bo said.
The Chinese government helped to build a communications network and infrastructure linking the village to other regions as well as holding intensive e-commerce training not only for local residents but also those from other villages and regions.
(Read also: Local musicians offer CDs, merchandise through e-commerce)
Various incentives and financial facilities from the government were given to start-up companies, which encouraged others to follow suit.
“Residents have multiplied their income in the last three years from e-commerce,” said Li Bo.
One of the successful e-commerce players is 18-year-old Xu Ruibing. The shy and reserved young man garnered 80 million yuan (US$12 million) last year alone from selling clothes online.
According to his father Xu Xujia, his son used to spend all day doing nothing after he graduated from junior high school.
“He was busy playing games all day. One day I told him to start doing something to help the family make a living,” he said.
As the only thing that attracted his son was online video games, he did not stray far from his passion and taught himself about online shopping.
“The good thing about online business is that it has no boundaries. It allows you to go beyond state borders with low costs,” said Li Bo. (kes)
