English Teacher in Tonglu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province Tries Cross-Border E-Commerce Live-streaming

A spotlight, a live screen, and two long rows of scarves... This is part of the "Chunjiang Yundu" live broadcast base in the Yingchun Business District of Tonglu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, which has become Xu Lu's new workplace. She was previously a full-time English teacher in a local education and training institution.

Recently, Xu Lu ushered in her sixth TikTok live broadcast. Her audiences were British, with an 8-hour time difference. Although she was still new in this job, Xu Lu thought that it was not that difficult for her to do cross-border e-commerce live-streaming and change her workplace from the classroom to the live broadcast room. "I personally like shopping through live-streaming. At that time, I heard that there was a job vacancy and my English proficiency allowed me to be a live-streaming anchor, so I didn't hesitate to give it a try." Xu Lu said.

A cross-border e-commerce anchor on live streaming [Photo by He Xiaohua]

Xu Lu changed her workplace from the classroom right into the live broadcast room，and in Tonglu, there are many people like her who use their spare time to try cross-border e-commerce live-streaming. They do their live broadcasts through Hangzhou Meipin E-commerce's TikTok live room.

According to the company's CEO Zheng Fabo, TikTok opened a live broadcast channel in China for the UK market in November 2021, from which he found new opportunities in e-commerce, an industry where he has been working for more than ten years. In early November, Hangzhou Meipin E-commerce obtained the live broadcast license of UK TikTok Shop, and began cross-border e-commerce live-streaming, selling "Tonglu Good Products" such as Hengcun Scarves and Fenshui Stationery.

E-commerce is one of Tonglu's characteristic industries. The Tonglu County Commerce Bureau is also preparing a cross-border livestreamer introduction work plan and related supporting policies to attract more livestreamers with foreign language skills and take the lead in the new industry of cross-border e-commerce live-streaming. "Tonglu is an excellent place for foreign trade industry. The next step will be a deeper integration of Tonglu's local products, new cross-border e-commerce channels, and multi-level talents cultivation system in order to provide new driving forces for cross-border e-commerce and help more Tonglu products go global", said Lei Huixin, director of the Tonglu County Commerce Bureau. (Text by He Xiaohua)