In the sprawling farms of rural areas of the Chinese mainland, entrepreneur Zhan Yun has found an unexpected path to success: livestreaming with her ostriches. Known online as Tuo Feifei (Flying Ostriches), Yun rigs up smartphones on makeshift stands—socks and elastic bands do the trick—and goes live on Douyin, the Chinese mainland’s version of TikTok. With a head of cabbage in hand, she coaxes her feathered collaborators to peck away as she introduces her star product: handcrafted ostrich feather dusters.
This daily ritual has proven wildly popular. Tuo Feifei’s Douyin channel now boasts 720,000 followers, and demand has soared to about 5,000 feather dusters produced each day. By blending traditional craftsmanship with a playful live-stream format, Yun has cracked the algorithm and turned a niche product into a viral hit.
Beyond boosting sales, Yun’s enterprise is making a real impact on the ground. The female-led business has created 50 new jobs for local residents—most of them women—supporting broader rural revitalization efforts in the Chinese mainland. Yun’s success underscores how digital platforms can catalyze economic growth in communities often left off the global e-commerce map.
For young global citizens, entrepreneurs and digital nomads alike, Tuo Feifei’s story is a masterclass in grassroots innovation. It shows that with creativity, resourcefulness and a willingness to experiment, even small-scale farms can harness social media to build community, commerce and real-world impact.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
