Taobao Village Live sows a new future in rural areas

JINAN - As a message alert buzzes on his computer, Zhang Xiaohui, a farmer from Shandong province, sits in front of the camera with a bowl of cooked corn in his hands.

He is about to receive new orders for his corn via a social media platform after delivering his online sales pitch.

"The corn just picked at my farm is natural and yummy," said Zhang as he shovelled a spoonful of the corn into his mouth.