Lychee grower enjoys fruits of global recognition

In a lush lychee orchard in Yongxing town of Haikou, Hainan province, agricultural entrepreneur Wu Yuyan speaks into her phone, livestreaming in English to an international audience. Her broadcasts blend expert insights on fruit maturity and sugar levels with engaging content tailored for tropical fruit lovers worldwide.

Since 2023, Wu has created over 200 bilingual short videos, boosting the global profile of Haikou's volcanic lychees and proving that digital globalization can breathe new life into traditional farming.

Born in 1992, Wu, a former media professional, entered agriculture in 2022 after spotting inefficiencies in the lychee supply chain. Noticing stark price gaps between farm and online retail, she returned to her hometown Yongxing town under Hainan's rural vitalization policies to revive her family's orchard.

She said adopting a bilingual marketing strategy helped her tap into overseas markets, boosting sales by 50 percent within a year. Her success has not only transformed her family's income model but also showcased the export potential of locally grown produce.

Wu's approach was no accident. After analyzing more than 100 overseas agriculture influencers, she found English-language content drove higher engagement on social media. So she designed a three-part framework: educational clips on volcanic soil, foreign tasters sampling lychees, and cultural nods to Hainan island.

In an effort to tap into the international market and target the Russian community residing in Hainan, Wu focuses her short-video promotion and livestream sales efforts on TikTok and RedNote. One viral video featuring a Russian visitor trying the fruit spiked sales overnight.

Wu said cross-border orders have climbed steadily, reaching developed markets despite the challenges of cold-chain logistics. Southeast Asian grocery platforms have begun partnership talks with her, signaling strong demand for high-quality tropical fruit.

Wu's digital push has also inspired local farmers to embrace online marketing, making her a case study in rural e-commerce.

Yongxing's e-commerce boom didn't happen overnight. In 2017, the town in Xiuying district, launched Hainan's first township-level e-commerce hub, training thousands of farmers. Gao Guanrong, head of the town's rural vitalization office, said homegrown influencers like Wu — who merge farming with social media — have flourished with local authorities implementing an official media traffic support mechanism.

The initiative focuses on spotlighting exemplary "new rural talents", individuals who are leading the charge in modernizing agriculture and rural life. Today, most growers document their work online, creating a vibrant agricultural content ecosystem.

Yet, hurdles persist. Accurate translation of farming terms and steep international shipping costs eat into profits. Cross-border logistics currently make up a large chunk of retail prices, capping export growth, according to Wu.

In order to help, the commerce-related government departments in Haikou added Wu to their "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agricultural Export Incubation Program", aiming to streamline logistics through policy and corporate tie-ups.

Wu's team is plotting ambitious next steps: securing a "volcanic lychee" geographical trademark, to enhance intellectual property influence and broaden sales channels. She also looks to attract more returning entrepreneurs, laying a solid talent foundation to boost market competitiveness.

She plans to adapt her model to other local specialties like Wenchang chicken and Xinglong coffee too. "Our town will keep supporting young entrepreneurs to propel brands like 'Yongxing Lychee King' worldwide," Gao said.

For Wu, it's proof that agriculture's future lies in blending tradition with technology — and speaking the language of global customers.

Tang Hefan contributed to this story.