Rural China Vlog: Sichuan sisters turn to online sales for local fruits

He Shuang and He Qian, both born after 1995, turn to online platforms to sell pomegranates and help locals live a better life in Huili County, SW China's Sichuan.

HUILI, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- He Shuang, 24, resigned from an airline in 2017 and started to sell pomegranates in hometown in Zhangguan Town of Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province. One year later, her sister He Qian came back home to help after graduation.

He Shuang (R) and her sister show pomegranates in Zhangguan Town of Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

In 2019, the sisters had sold four million kilograms of pomegranates from August to November through the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo. They have become pioneers to sell local agricultural products on e-commerce.

With a planting area of 400,000 mu (about 26,666 hectares), pomegranate in Huili County accounts for about a quarter of the country's total, with an annual output of 700,000 tons.

He Shuang shows pomegranates purchased from farmers in Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

He Shuang (R) and her sister pick pomegranates in Zhangguan Town of Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

He Shuang (R front) checks pomegranates for sorting in Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

He Shuang and her sister load a truck with packaged pomegranates with workers in Zhangguan Town of Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

He Shuang (R) and her sister check orders in Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

China has targeted eradicating absolute poverty in 2020. The country is trying to blunt the impact of the novel coronavirus on its anti-poverty drive and vowing to realize the poverty-alleviation target at the end of the year.

He Shuang (L) and her sister sell pomegranates via live streaming in Zhangguan Town of Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Aerial photo shows a pomegranate plantation in Zhangguan Town of Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)