Internet sales give welcome boost to local fortunes

For Yu Jiwan, Party secretary of the Cangtian village in Cixi, Zhejiang province, the booming Taobao businesses in the village have introduced positive changes, providing a seamless connection between the production, marketing and sales of the sanitary ware produced in the village.

The village, which has a population of 4,600 and is home to more than 300 makers of sanitary ware, launched a service platform as early as 2017 to provide storage, product supply, e-commerce training and logistics services for Taobao store operators in the village, making it the first Taobao village in Cixi.

Taobao villages are rural e-commerce hubs that feature Alibaba's logistics, services and training to encourage farmers to engage in online sales of farm produce and local specialties.