'People just don't know about us yet.' Rural China promotes itself online
Provided by Ma Liang.
A video featuring a man standing in a pumpkin field in rural China, speaking fluent English with a British accent, recently took Chinese social media by storm.
The man, dressed in a suit, stood at an improvised podium in the middle of a farm field, introducing local pumpkins to an audience beyond rural northwestern China.
His name is Ma Liang, known to his fans as "Masnow" – a tribute to the American journalist Edgar Snow, who wrote part of his famous book "Red Star over China" in Ma's hometown in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Ma's mission is to bring the stories and products of his rural homeland to a wider audience through short videos and livestreaming.
"My hometown is in the heart of the Loess Plateau," Ma told Shanghai Daily. "It has an ideal highland climate for growing organic, high-quality vegetables. People just don't know about us yet."
He added, "I have a natural connection to the land. This isn't about creating some virtual idyllic world; it's about helping more people understand and appreciate my hometown."
In a pumpkin field in rural northwest China, Ma Liang, known as 'Masnow,' uses English to promote his hometown's specialty crop.
Ma's presentation is elegant in tone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to give you a grand presentation of our specialty, highland baby pumpkin," he says.
His British accent contrasts sharply with the backdrop of rugged farmland and local farmers. In a surreal moment, his auntie, an elderly woman who calls herself "Lady Margaret," joins him in the video, speaking in a thick Ningxia dialect as she proudly describes the quality of the pumpkins.
The video, filled with poetic language and evincing a deep love for his homeland, has resonated with viewers across China.
Within a week, his follower count soared from 40,000 to over 160,000 on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. One commenter summarized the sentiment: "We pursue education not to escape our poor hometown, but to help our hometown escape poverty."
Ma hands out Chinese New Year red packets to local villagers who assist with sorting pumpkins at the town's e-commerce center.
Born in the 1980s, Ma grew up in Xihaigu in Ningxia, a region often described as barren and unsuitable for agriculture. The area was declared poverty-free in 2020 as part of a nationwide campaign.
After graduating from Xi'an International Studies University with a degree in English language and literature, Ma pursued various career paths, including roles in media and government bodies.
His work took him to major Chinese cities and abroad, but despite his success, he said he never forgot his roots in rural Ningxia.
"After working in cities for years, I felt like I hadn't fully realized my potential," Ma said. "I wanted to do something meaningful, something that could bring real value to my hometown."
Ma helps load agricultural products sold on the Douyin platform onto a truck for delivery.
In 2022, Ma made the bold decision to return to his hometown and dedicate himself to promoting local agriculture online.
Together with a friend who specializes in film production, he set out to capture the beauty of the Ningxia countryside and its agricultural potential through short videos.
Just like Ma, other Chinese online influencers are turning to English to sell their products to wider audiences. Some are using platforms like TikTok to tap into the booming overseas e-commerce market.
Among them is Chen Lirong, a farmer in the southern province of Guangdong, who also uses English to promote the local specialty crop lychee. Like Ma, she blends local dialect with fluent English, creating an engaging, often humorous contrast.
Online salesmanship can be quite profitable. A Chinese student who goes by the pseudonym Qi Tian graduated from a leading UK university and started promoting a hair growth tonic in 2023. His message resonated with the British public, leading him to earn 400,000 yuan (US$56,974) in a single month.
Zhu Yu, a graduate in business English, found similar success by promoting LED products on foreign social media platforms. With over 1.3 million followers, Zhu has become a sensation, thanks to the ability to switch between different English accents.
Taking a page from the success of these online entrepreneurs, many business owners in the trade market in Yiwu in neighboring Zhejiang Province are attending classes in English, or even Spanish and Arabic.
Provided by Ma Liang.
Foreign language promotions, combined with the quality of homegrown products, have helped some domestic entrepreneurs win the trust and business of international customers – driving the economic growth of rural villages.
Ma's team has so far released over 20 videos on Douyin, each garnering more than 100,000 views.
Within days of the release of the pumpkin video, more than 80,000 kilograms of pumpkins were sold. It was a turning point for local farmers who had struggled to sell their produce.
"Thanks to Ma's videos, baby pumpkin sales have exceeded 50 tons this year, with many returning customers," said Wang Zhiyu, Party secretary of Xinglong Town.
Chen Lirong uses English to promote lychees from her hometown in a Douyin livestream.
The local government supports Ma's efforts by providing office space and logistics facilities. Local women make a good living by sorting and packaging pumpkins.
"The success of the pumpkin video was not just luck," Ma said. "We carefully planned our content, focusing on quality and authenticity. Our goal is not just to generate views but to create content that people can connect with emotionally."
Ma's videos often start with dramatic, poetic introductions in English before cutting to scenes of rural life and the farmers who cultivate the land. The mix of standard British English and Ningxia dialect gives his videos a sense of authenticity and charm.
"There's a kind of emotional resonance in my videos," Ma explained. "Whether you're from the countryside or from a city, there's something universally touching about seeing the simplicity and beauty of rural life."
Farmers in Ma Liang's hometown are busier than ever following the success of his English-language livestreams on Douyin.
He added, "We don't rush our content. The Internet is full of noise, and you have to be consistent and authentic to stand out."
While Ma's current audience is primarily Chinese, he is exploring the possibility of expanding to international platforms like YouTube and Instagram, using English to cultivate new audiences.
"I want to become a bridge between my hometown and the world," he said "The challenge is to figure out how to adapt our content to international viewers while staying true to our roots. We don't need elaborate words. We just need to stand here, on this plateau, and share the beauty of the land."
