(Transcribed from recordings, with some edits)
The forum over the past two days has deeply impressed upon me that knowledge is power and that the insights of scholars are an invisible weapon driving social progress. Our explorative experience in promoting new media in Rongjiang County shares similarities with development challenges faced by the Global South: the crash between traditional mindset and practical demands, the contradiction between backward conditions and modernization, and the public’s limited understanding of new phenomena.
We have witnessed three waves of universal learning in Chinese history, firstly about learning agricultural techniques when the household responsibility system was initiated, and secondly about learning computer skills amid the popularization of the technology. Today, the most vital skill is mastering mobile internet. Since mobile phones serve as the sole gateway for farmers to access the digital economy, Rongjiang County proposed “turning phones into new farming tools, data into new agricultural assets, and livestreaming into new farming practices.” Over a year, we traveled from village to village to conduct hands-on instruction, having trained tens of thousands of villagers.
The digital empowerment has yielded remarkable results. For example, the county’s “Cunchao” (Village Super League) garnered over 80 billion views online. The promoted digital economy has not only boosted local incomes, but also granted residents with a sense of fulfillment and confidence. We have transformed communication into productive forces, leveraging the internet to advance rural culture, tourism and industries.
With a permanent population of over 100,000, Rongjiang County welcomed more than 7 million tourists last year and built four new four-star hotels. Many returning youth have become “ambassadors” in the digital era, sharing their hometown stories through livestreaming and short videos. Some earn hundreds of thousands of Chinese RMB annually by livestreaming agricultural products, while others sell Dong ethnic intangible cultural heritage textiles nationwide. There are also some using livestreaming to help disabled youth integrate into society. These stories demonstrate how new media transform labor into content, driving dual progress in rural economy and culture.
Digitalization has also reshaped social governance. Through learning new media skills, villagers get a better understanding of government policies and development plans. They voluntarily promote Cunchao and even study English to prepare for future international activities. Vulnerable groups also integrate into society, becoming valued and respected.
We are promoting this model in Guizhou Province and beyond, and our experience demonstrates that “underdevelopment” is not an obstacle. Instead, these regions enjoy unique advantages thanks to the preserved authentic culture and natural resources. Global South countries can adopt this approach: using low-cost digital tools to motivate communities, thus driving comprehensive economic and social revitalization.
Moving forward, we wish to extend our experience to more regions in the Global South, making digital empowerment a new engine for shared development.