Chronicling the disappearance of a village for posterity

"I'm the only one who has been doing this. The faster the urbanization process, the greater its impact on the countryside, where many old people are poor," says Qiao.

The village will disappear one day, and so will its old inhabitants and their lifestyle. These things make Qiao feel that her work is helping this large village record its memories.

Viewers also love how farmers have been arranging life in the village according to the seasons — plowing, planting, weeding, fertilizing, harvesting, drying and preserving grains for winter. Also, photographs of people eating food cooked from crop grown in their own fields means a lot more to these migrant laborers who these days eat things they buy in the supermarkets.

What adds to the beauty of the video is Qiao's voiceover, as she tries to tell plain stories in simple language, always focusing on the details and supplementing it with background information and trivia. Many people compare her to a village writer who is good at writing village stories.

Qiao attributes the popularity of her videos to her proximity to the people and their lives.

She wants to do more to protect the cultural heritage of her village and even the county.

"I am nearing retirement age," said Qiao. "In the future, I would like to collect the folk songs of Yangqu. My grandmother is very good at singing them, but there are not many old people in the village today who can sing them. These are the things I want to record for my children and grandchildren.

"I have found a mission for my retired life and that gives me a strong sense of responsibility," Qiao said.

The villagers feel good when Qiao captures their daily life for their families in the cities to watch online and they know Qiao is doing something meaningful for the village, whose disappearance is only a matter of time.