Tieling has many first secretaries like Hu, who have dedicated themselves to front-line work and are empowering the countryside with the help of the internet.

The Tieling Municipal Party Committee's Organization Department has led the establishment of platforms and resource integration, forming 42 first secretary professional alliances, strengthening bonds among villages and achieving resource-sharing. Such collaboration has formed a comprehensive service system that uses livestreaming to promote agricultural produce and improve villagers' lives.

"As a member of the first secretary e-commerce alliance, I have participated in numerous cooperation and communication activities," said Hu. "We have supported each other, exchanged information and provided assistance for livestreams, achieving very good results."

Chen Jianguo, 46, Party secretary of Beishan village in Shangrao, Jiangxi, has revitalized the village using just a mobile phone and a livestreaming room.

A typical livestream starts with Chen adjusting his collar, placing a product — such as a jar of homemade preserved vegetables — on the table in front of the camera, and greeting viewers in his signature style: "Good evening, dear friends, and welcome to Beishan Secretary Chen's livestream".

With his professional demeanor, he has already become a local internet celebrity, driving annual agricultural sales worth more than 25 million yuan.

The economic transformation of Beishan is striking, given that the village was struggling to keep its head above water a few years ago.

Chen, who had left Beishan as a young man in 2004 to seek better opportunities in Zhejiang province, returned to his village after the Hefei-Fuzhou high-speed railway opened in June 2015.

"The convenience of high-speed transportation helped take Beishan's agricultural products outside, and brought Beishan's youth back home," said Chen, who closed his digital products store in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, and became a Party cadre in his village.

At a rural e-commerce training session organized by the government of Guangxin district, where Beishan is located, Chen chanced upon a whole new world. "The teacher talked about online programs that are helping drive rural vitalization, and I thought we could integrate resources to promote our agricultural products outside," he said.

In 2018, Chen was elected Beishan village secretary, and a year later, he opened an account on short video platform Douyin.

The start of his online journey wasn't smooth. "Villagers said that all I did was make videos with my phone. Some even went to higher authorities to complain that I was neglecting my duties," Chen said.

Instead of being demotivated by such skepticism, Chen engaged other villagers in making short videos and organized fun sports for farmers, giving everyone the opportunity to share the joy and experience the novelty of video-making through participation.

On May 26, 2023, Chen started his first livestream channel to help villagers sell their agricultural produce and other products. "I received 130 orders, although more than half were from my acquaintances," he said.

With policy support for agricultural e-commerce, Beishan started making big strides through livestreaming. Last year, the village's collective economy reached 500,000 yuan.