A post-80s woman from Peng'an taps into the internet and finds a path to higher income
Free-range chickens that were once ignored by everyone have now become "internet celebrities" in WeChat Moments. Over the past year, Hu Xiuqiong's heart has been on a roller-coaster ride along with her chickens.
Working for others is not a long-term solution. Last year, 34-year-old Hu Xiuqiong scraped together 40,000 yuan and built a chicken coop in Shiziliang Village, Peng'an County, her hometown. At first, her daily work was just tending her own chicken coop, but now she has another task -- livestreaming her daily "trivial matters" on WeChat and showing off her homegrown "rustic" flavor in her Moments.
Tapping into the internet by chance
Selling 3,000 yuan worth in a single day at most
The first time Hu Xiuqiong "tapped into the internet," her business was at a low point. "The chickens I raised through hard work couldn't be sold -- people either doubted the breed of the free-range chickens or complained the price was too high." At that time, Hu Xiuqiong, with no way to sell her chickens, was so anxious that she broke out in mouth sores. But just then, Zou Wenhu, the first secretary stationed in Shiziliang Village, posted a message for Hu Xiuqiong in his WeChat Moments. What Hu Xiuqiong never expected was that as the post spread through Moments, her free-range chickens suddenly became popular there. "At the most, I sold 3,000 yuan worth in a single day."
"Before that, I had no idea you could sell chickens online. This experience really opened my eyes." Having gotten a taste of success, Hu Xiuqiong began racking her brains over supplying based on customer demand, creating an "order-based farming" model that formed a "private customization" plan, providing the best products to WeChat friends who had demand.
"The market has no shortage of chickens at all. If free-range chickens are to find a market, they must be properly positioned." Hu Xiuqiong started from the supply side, positioning her product as high-end, boosting the value of her free-range chickens, and strictly controlling every stage -- selection and breeding, hatching, rearing, transportation and sales. "Every stage is livestreamed on WeChat, with pictures and the truth laid bare."
After finding the right positioning, Hu Xiuqiong began repackaging her free-range chickens online. Because she bought first-generation free-range chicks, compared with chickens from other farms, her free-range chickens can only grow to 3.5 jin at most, and take 3 more months to reach market weight than those from ordinary farms. The high breeding cost and long cycle actually became the selling points of her free-range chickens.
Rearing environment
A natural "oxygen bar" becomes an "internet celebrity"
Besides reshaping the quality of her free-range chickens, Hu Xiuqiong also put thought into the rearing environment.
Shiziliang Village is located in the Dashen Nanhai Water Conservancy Scenic Area in Peng'an County. Because of the construction of the Dashengou Reservoir, much of the village's good farmland was submerged, and the village is also a key reservoir resettlement poverty-stricken village in the county. What ordinary people see as shortcomings -- too many people and too little land, high mountains and deep valleys -- Hu Xiuqiong sees as advantages: narrow gullies and dense forests, secluded and elegant valleys.
With a shift in thinking, the horizon broadens. The free-range chickens raised entirely on grain in this natural oxygen bar quickly became "internet celebrities" in WeChat Moments. With the help of the internet, the "last kilometer" was bridged, and Hu Xiuqiong's free-range chickens flew straight from the mountain gully to city residents' dinner tables. "This spring, I just moved my fingers and made a few phone calls, and I earned more than 10,000 yuan." Hu Xiuqiong's face was covered with smiles.
From being ignored to being in hot demand, the quality of the free-range chickens and the environment have not changed. What has changed is the thinking of the chicken farmer Hu Xiuqiong. Now, Hu Xiuqiong, who has grown rich with the help of the internet, is stepping up expansion of her chicken coops and forming a cooperative, so as to drive more impoverished people to "tap into the internet" and increase their income.