China’s farmers reap rich harvest through video-sharing apps

Ma collecting honey at his apiary in Songyang county in China's Zhejiang province. Once a modest beekeeper, Ma has been driving a BMW since he started selling his honey using a technique increasingly popular with Chinese farmers: video clips that show the origins of his product and open a window onto rural life. — Photos: AFP

HENGZHANG, China: "Do you want a piece?" beekeeper Ma Gongzuo says, looking into the camera of a friend's smartphone before biting into the dripping comb of amber-coloured honey.

The clip goes out to his 737,000 followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of popular video sharing app TikTok that has 400 million users in the country and has turned Ma into something of a celebrity.

An un-bee-lievable fortune is waiting to be made by those enterprising enough to up their online game.