An Online Harvest

by Ding Ge

“With an Internet Connection， My Store Opens”

Wang Zhiqiang， a farmer from Luliang mountainous area in northern Chinas Shanxi Province， picked “Wang Xiaobang” as his screen name when opening his online shop， “Villagers Best Stuff”， on Chinas top online retailer Taobao. The reason he chose the name was simple： “Bang”means “help” in Chinese， and “Xiaobang”can mean “lend a hand.” “I wanted to invite city dwellers to try food produced in rural areas， and hoped to assist them in finding some in my village，” he recalled.

His honesty， simplicity， and hospitality quickly made his shop a favorite with customers， and his sales volume increased steadily. Gradually， Wang became wealthy through the internet， a phenomenon his fellow villagers had never seen before.

During the 2008 Spring Festival， Wang wrote an article about his experience titled Computer， Internet Connection， Camera， and Motorcycle： I Am An Online Entrepreneur and posted it online. The article was quickly republished on many websites， and won Wang the First Taobao Entrepreneurial Pioneering Award. Since then， Wang has been a media darling.

While Wang and his local grain shop were gaining popularity， his decision to diversify and add a wider range of products brought a sharp increase in his shops sales volume. At present， more than 60 varieties of products can be found in Wangs shop， including locally produced grains， agricultural products and handmade specialties. During the busy season， Wang pays an average of 1，000 yuan a day just for shipping at the post office. Annually， shipping costs him around 300，000 yuan. In a normal year， he sells 30 tons of millet， 10 tons of soy beans， 20，000 kilograms of walnuts， and 20 tons of Chinese red dates， with annual sales volume reaching nearly three million yuan.

Presently， Wang is considering expanding the capacity and scale of his grain business， and he hopes to “lend a hand” to his fellow villagers seeking wealth.

Wealth from Soil

Wang lives in Zhangjiagou Village of Linxian County. His home， a three-room cave dwelling on a flat land， is where he operates his online shop， “Villagers Best Stuff.” Years ago， Wang worked in Beijing as a migrant worker. During that time， he noticed that people were buying and selling things on the internet， making money from home. He gave it a try and opened his own shop on Taobao， with the intention of selling his old books that had been sitting on shelves for ages. But after selling the few books he found， he began to ponder his next move. “I thought hard， very hard，” he recalls. “One day， the proverb ‘those living on a mountain live off the mountain hit me like a bolt of lightning. I am a farmer， and I can sell the natural products from the soil： Chinese red dates， millet， walnuts， and soy beans.”

Excited by his revelation， Wang started right away. He borrowed a camera from his neighbor， took photos of the products， and made descriptions one by one.“I saw descriptions for similar products online，” Wang explains. “Most of them only describe specifications， size， and basic features. I thought I should try something different. Emotion matters. I sell the same food that was consumed by my father and forefathers.”

In August 2008， Wangs shop opened.“I earned four yuan from my first deal，”he smiles. “I went to the county seat， spent two yuan on a butterfly-shaped hair pin for my wife and cookies for my daughter. I was so happy to see real money. I could feel the whole business was going to work out. It was my first nugget of gold from online business.”

After operation began， many problems appeared. Wang was quickly consumed with improving his product package， settling accounts with the post office， and shipping faster. Soon， he had sold all the grain in his house as well as that of his relatives， so he began to sell grain from other households in the village. “Everyday， I rode my motorcycle to the county seat post office to ship the goods， even if the weather was terrible or I only got one order.”

Sometimes， the money earned from a single sale couldnt even cover the fuel for his motorcycle. But Wangs persistence eventually paid off. By the end of 2008， he was receiving an average of 10 orders a day. “I could earn around 100 yuan daily then， and became self-sufficient. Not to mention， I could help my fellow villagers earn more from their grain， which enabled them to lead a much better lifestyle than working as a migrant in a metropolis.”

“The Food My Forefathers Ate”

In the early days， Wangs store primarily sold Chinese red dates， millet， and walnuts. Later， he began to sell a wider variety of foods with distinct local features such as soy beans， which city dwellers like to turn into soy milk and drink for breakfast. He also sold some specialty foods that are now hard to find even in rural areas， such as dried shredded turnips， dried shredded summer squash， and homemade pickled wild vegetables.

Wang recalled that during his childhood summers， when squash was abundant， every household in the village shredded squash with a handmade tool and dried it in the sun. From winter until the following March， when vegetables were scarce， dried shredded summer squash was always found on the dinner table. It was used in soup， meat stew， and combined with other vegetables. The tool used to shred the squash was made especially for that task. Nowadays， only families that have been living in cave-dwellings on mountains for ages could possibly still have the tool， but he tracked one down. As soon as he posted dried shredded summer squash online， orders quickly exceeded his supply. “A large restaurant in town made a huge order， but I didnt even have enough for the customers of my store！” he exclaims. “And my moms handmade chili sauce is also popular. The 60 varieties of food in store are all things me and my forefathers used to eat.”

Before opening his store， Wang and his wife worked in Beijing for six years in construction， sales， and as drivers. “We earned a little money， and when we returned home， I decided we ought to buy a computer， which could connect us to the whole world，” he recalls. Now， living and working in his hometown， Wang feels content more than he ever has before.

“Now， even the grain from neighboring villages falls short of demand，” he gasps. “I already travel to further away places – villages along the Yellow River – to purchase locally produced food. And I am thinking of applying for a grant from the county government to build an ecological garden. By doing this， I can work with local farmers to plant more of the crops I need， offer better products for my clients， and help my fellow villagers earn greater wealth.”