“Amazing!” Exclaimed Daniel when watching “the live streaming on how to take pearls out of mussels” at Pearl Village in Zhuji, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, on February 23. 

The professor from Mexico experienced the live streaming marketing. [Photo by Hangzhou Daily]

Daniel is the head of a vocational school in Mexico. He was amazed when he saw how a farmer turned into a loquacious Taobao live streamer the minute he sat in front of the camera and could not help exclaiming “we’re wondering how you make it?”

Three years ago, Jorge Enrique, the minister of education of Guanajuato State in Mexico, learned from Bainiu Village (Lin’an, Hangzhou) reputed as the famous Taobao Village, through the Global Digital Economy Talent Training Program of the World E-commerce Platform launched by Alibaba. He initiated “Digital Village” Program in the state. Three years later, Guanajuato Government took a group of outstanding professors to Pearl Village (Xinchangle Village, Shanxiahu Town, Zhuji, Zhejiang) for the one-week on-spot survey. 

Live streaming is rapidly changing Pearl Town. “So far, more than 300 pearl culturing households in the village have resorted to e-commerce live streaming, and 75% of villagers are engaged in live streaming related works. In 2022, the total online and offline sales of the village amounted to 6 billion yuan, of which, up to 4 billion yuan were from live streaming sales via e-commerce platforms,” said He Lixin, the village party secretary. Now, the per capita GDP of the village has reached USD 30,000. 

“I would like to express my gratitude to my Chinese teachers for sharing knowledge and experiences and helping us to get on the train of the digital economy,” Daniel told the reporter. A young instructor named Rubin Agini remarked with emotion, “Mexico is trying to train farmers and young people by introducing China’s successful experience in digital economy to open their minds.”

“Now, these Chinese practices have been included into the textbooks of top 20 universities in Mexico and have become a part of the credit courses of overseas universities. In the textbooks, Taobao Village is a very important case source and the case of Pearl Village has been repeatedly analyzed and studied,” said Miguel Cuevas who is the relevant responsible person of the Ministry of Education of Guanajuato State.

So far, Mexico students who have graduated from Alibaba Talent Training Program have organized nearly 1,000 teaching and service teams and have helped more than 1,500 small and micro enterprises throughout Mexico to realize digital transformation.