Ginseng pickers pass on their skills

Product promotion

Ma Xiaotong, 30, from Wanliang, Fusong, has had online success with ginseng sales. At the end of 2016, she returned to the county from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, as she wanted to start her own business.

"When I was in Shenzhen, I often worked overtime, but I felt lost in such a big city. I didn't know why I had to be so busy every day," she said.

She decided to return home to sell local agricultural produce and herbs on e-commerce platforms.

Although Ma is still working during the day and at night, she no longer feels tired. "I'm now working for myself and know that this is what I must do for my career," she said.

Ma has opened stores on several major e-commerce platforms, including Taobao and JD, to sell her own-brand ginseng products. In addition to fresh ginseng, she sells related health products, such as food, face masks and soap, targeting consumers age 30 to 50.

"These people work overtime and face a burden raising their families, so they have an increased demand for herbal and health products to boost their energy levels and enhance immunity," she said.

Ma said turnover from her online business from January to August rose fourfold year-on-year.

"This was not only because more people were attaching importance to their health, but was also due to the fact that traditional Chinese medicine was proving effective in relieving COVID-19 symptoms," she said.

By assisting local farmers to sell cultivated ginseng online, she has helped more people raise their standard of living.

The Wanliang government has also stepped up efforts to help local farmers cultivate and process the herb and find jobs in related industries, lifting them out of poverty and guiding them toward xiaokang, or moderately prosperous lives.