Vision shows village way out of poverty

He recalls that he wanted to let more people know about his village during college, and the thought became stronger after graduation, although he didn't know how to start.

Shi first tried to run a WeChat account to tell people stories about Shibadong. When short video platform Douyin became popular nationwide, Shi knew that there was an opportunity for promotion.

In 2018, Shi asked his friend Shi Kang, who is also from the village and was working in new media in Hunan's capital Changsha, to start up a business together to promote and sell their stories via short video.

Shi Kang refused the offer because he thought he was inexperienced in this field, but he found a short video related job in Changsha for future entrepreneurial experimentation.

At the same time, Shi Zhichun found his own way to promote Shibadong by singing Miao songs and telling Miao stories for tourists.

At the end of 2019, it was finally time for the duo to discuss the possibility to start up a business on short video again. They met another possible partner－Shi Linjiao, who graduated from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in 2019 and just quit her publicity job in Liuyang to return to Shibadong.

They soon chimed in easily and had a clear division－Shi Zhichun is responsible for the planning of the video content as he knows better about the village, Shi Kang is responsible for filming and editing and Shi Linjiao's job is to stand in front of the camera as a host.

The trio started with livestreaming on daily farm work of the Miao people. To find a better camera shot, they often examined vantage points in the village.

In April 2020, they started to sell their products through livestream shows. These included preserved meat, eggs, honey and pickled radish. They also help the villagers to sell other products during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Preserved meat is a special food in Xiangxi which every family can make. The meat made in our village is especially good in flavor because the fresh pork is smoked using firewood rather than by machine," Shi Zhichun explains.

"We can have over 100,000 views for each livestream show. We not only earn our living but also expand the market for the villagers," Shi Zhichun says.

According to him, the preserved meat is sold 100 yuan per kilogram while on the livestream show it can be sold at 130 yuan, which can bring more income for the villagers.

For the coming Spring Festival holiday, Shi is busy planning on how to be creative in his shows to make a good start for Shibadong's preserved meat brand.

Shibadong is one example of Hunan province's major poverty relief achievements in recent years. All 51 impoverished counties and 6,920 impoverished villages in the province have been lifted out of poverty in the past eight years.