Short-video app opens new horizons for rural residents

Short-video app Kuaishou said it trained 100,000 rural residents to conduct cunbo, or village live broadcast, on the platform in the first half of this year, equipping them with necessary skills to livestream rural life, promote sales of farm produce or traditional handicraft techniques designated China's intangible cultural heritages.

The effort has created a total 250,000 jobs in about 25,000 townships nationwide, Kuaishou said in a report released on Tuesday.

In 2022, more than 870 million yuan worth of farm produce were sold on the platform, up 55 percent year-on-year, the report said.

Kuaishou identified more than 300 million users as those with an interest in rural-themed contents, it said.

The report noted that Kuaishou was also a major vehicle for promoting rural sports event such as VillageBA, a basketball competition launched in a rural part of Guizhou province featuring amateur players, mostly local farmers.

By July, the competition-related contents were viewed more than 300 million times, and the views of rural sports events on Kuaishou adds up to more than 500 million times, it said.

More than 200 million users are labeled by Kuaishou as having an interest in contents related to China's intangible cultural heritage.

In January, Kuaishou launched a village broadcaster training program with the aim of helping promote China's rural revitalization campaign through diverting internet traffic to vloggers making rural-related contents.