Flower industry pioneers profit from fields of dreams

Radiating success

About 30-minute drive away from Xu's place, Lou Yongli is preparing to host her popular livestream in Tianming village.

Inside a greenhouse, Lou, in her 30s, looks in a mirror, and carefully applies eyeliner. At 3 pm, her Douyin livestream account goes live and within minutes, her virtual audience begins to grow.

The livestream has turned Lou into a local celebrity and made her flower business, Yongli Gardening, a thriving enterprise with annual sales exceeding 1 million yuan ($137,200).

"Family, the link is up! Our No 1 bestseller today: multi-bloom lilies! Grab them now for a surprise deal!" she entreats her followers.

Lou beams as she stands framed by a ring of light in a sea of freshly cut flowers. Viewers' comments begin to roll in.

With practiced ease, Lou lifts one bouquet after another to the camera, and confidently gives expert explanations of the different varieties, and care instructions.

She also makes a point of answering questions in the comments area, which illustrates her professional approach to the job.

Before entering the flower business four years ago, Lou ran a clothing store. When the pandemic disrupted offline retail, she accepted an invitation from village officials to take over a few plots of land and try selling flowers online.

The idea was novel but risky, she thought.

"Livestreaming may seem easy to get into, but turning it into a sustainable business isn't simple," Lou reflected.

In addition to developing her expertise on flowers, she quickly realized that customers weren't just purchasing flowers, but also buying into concepts of beauty and ambience.

That's why Lou invested in polishing her own image. "If the flowers must be pretty, then the person selling them should be too," she reasoned.

Lou's livestreams regularly bring in large audiences and solid sales, but she isn't stopping there.

To expand beyond Douyin, Lou regularly takes photos of her flowers and shares them on WeChat Moments. Customers who have befriended her spot something they like, screenshot it and message her directly to order.

Over time, she has cultivated a loyal customer base and transformed her venture into one of the leading horticulture businesses in Tianming, which is home to more than 100 flower-farming households.

The village sells over two million pots of flowers annually, with a combined output worth nearly 100 million yuan.