Cooking up a good life

Others have expressed a strong appetite for Zhang's cooking and the healthy lifestyle of the locals.

One video showing Zhang cooking cushaw flowers received over 1 million hits in one week after its release in July 2019, and a total of 55,000 viewers gave it thumbs-up.

"Many of the viewers didn't know cushaw flowers could be cooked and eaten, and said they'd buy some to cook at home after watching the video," Ding says.

The success of the video greatly boosted Ding's confidence after the setback of his initial business.

"I felt like my efforts were paying off," he says.