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In Business: Can Internet Shopping Transform Rural China?

Factual

Can Internet Shopping Transform Rural China?

26/11/2015

BBC Radio 4 - In Business, Can Internet Shopping Transform Rural China?

Can the internet shopping industry transform China's rural communities?

Peter Day explores how the internet shopping industry is transforming the fortunes of rural villages in China.

In some areas of rural China, traditional farming communities are transforming into something very 21st Century: internet shopping hubs. 

Leading the way is the village of Qing Yan Liu where, four hours south of Shanghai, local residents have created a world of bubble wrap and sticky tape. 

In the eyes of the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping this could be the future of rural China. He hopes that more and more small communities will copy what's happened in Qing Yan Liu - now dubbed 'China's No. 1 E-Commerce village'. It's hoped this will halt the flow of young people from rural China to the nation's cities, as they go in search of employment. 

Turning more small towns and villages into online shopping hubs would provide much needed jobs, and a reason for young people to stay at home, ensuring communities continue to survive rather than disappear. 

Producer: Charlotte Pritchard.

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