Citadel of hope

On his return he was pleased to see that tourism was being developed, but he felt that villagers remained stuck in the past in the way they did business.

"You would find elderly people sitting in a parking lot every day, even on cold, windy winter days eager to sell stuff, but selling hardly anything. I'd sometimes go up to them, have a bit of a chat and ask what the problem was."

Shi says he is well aware that many city dwellers would enthusiastically buy various kinds of fresh countryside food abundant in Shibadong village, but the elderly have no idea how to connect with potential customers.

To bridge the gap he opened an internet live streaming account and, with his hobbies of guitar playing and singing, he can help the villagers sell local products online.

Sometimes when the village holds an outdoor market he can be seen in front of a camera playing his guitar. All sorts of products are available on his channel, including chili, honey, kiwi fruit and homemade rice wine, in fact anything the villagers ask him to help with.