Digital world narrows urban-rural gap

GDP contribution

The value of China's digital economy reached 35.8 trillion yuan ($5.49 trillion) in 2019, accounting for 36.2 percent of national GDP, according to a report released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a scientific research institute at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Digital technologies have also promoted poverty alleviation. For example, big data can accurately identify each family's circumstances and help farmers develop rural e-commerce. Moreover, the digitalization process has created more job opportunities.

During the survey, Lyu's team found that greater vitality has been fostered in counties thanks to digitalization. They also discovered that rural residents are going to bed later because many have developed their own businesses via livestreams.

Sha Chao is a night owl. The 34-year-old is one of several livestreamers in Xuebu village, Donghai county in East China's Jiangsu province.

The village is a major center for the processing and sale of crystals. In recent years, livestreaming has seen the sector expand significantly and helped promote a new lifestyle among local people.

Sha sensed his opportunity in 2016, when Taobao, the nation's most popular online shopping platform, started providing live sales services. The following year, livestreams brought his store 300 to 400 orders for crystals every day, contributing to daily income of about 10,000 yuan.

Sha's livestreaming service runs from twilight to the early hours of the morning－the peak time for sales.

"Before the emergence of live sales, people in our village went to bed early, and the whole village was dark after 10 pm. Now, night is our busiest time," he said. "Walking on the street, even at 3 am, you see many houses with lights burning."

Others have been encouraged by Sha's success, and Xuebu is now home to more than 500 Taobao livestreamers. In the past three years, the village has seen combined annual sales of nearly 100 million yuan.