Livestreaming Lands Sales in New Market

6 | DISCOVER SHANXI Thursday, December 31, 2020 CHINA DAILY Famous general’s life Livestreaming rings out in symphony

By YUAN SHENGGAO tary achievement, the status of lands sales in Guan was elevated to the same as A concert about famous Eastern that of Confucius, who is deemed Han Dynasty (25­220) general as a sage of culture and education, Guan Yu was held at the National in later dynasties. Centre for the Performing Arts in This elevation led to nationwide new market Beijing on Dec 15, portraying the worship of Guan, and his many events and key moments in his life virtues have been praised. in symphony. However, residents in today’s Business models adapt as pandemic changes A livestream hosted by Erya during the Nov 11 shopping festival The concert was performed by Shanxi province, especially in the way people buy and sell products generates a gross merchandise transaction value of 9.3 billion the Yuncheng Troupe of Tradition­ Guan’s hometown Yuncheng, are yuan. WANG ZEYU / FOR CHINA DAILY al Music from Yuncheng city in among the most fervent believ­ Shanxi province and the China ers. The city has held 31 sessions writer and video maker. She pro­ Eyeing the potential of the lives­ tream hosted a forum on livestream­ Broadcast Traditional Orchestra of the Guan Gong Culture Festi­ duced a great number of videos to treaming sector in driving market ing e­commerce in Taiyuan in July. based in Beijing. val, attracting people throughout share with viewers her household demand, Shanxi’s authorities have “This was the first livestreaming This was the first time that Guan the nation to pay homage. tips in a wide range of areas. strongly supported the industry. e­commerce forum in Shanxi aim­ Yu has been featured in a sympho­ Yuncheng’s artists began to Erya’s video blogs have generated The Shanxi Department of Com­ ing to offer a networking opportuni­ ny concert. compose the Guan Gong­featured more than 120 million views over merce released a document in July ty for insiders and a matching venue Yuncheng is said to be the birth­ symphony in early 2019. It the past two years. encouraging the establishment of among suppliers and livestreaming place of Guan. involved the participation of more By YUAN SHENGGAO The outbreak of COVID­19 at the more livestreaming e­commerce platforms,” Wang Kun said. Guan is so worshipped through­ than 70 people, including musi­ beginning of this year has made businesses in the province. Amid the rapid growth of the out the country that a Chinese say­ cians, local opera artists and litera­ Wang Qi, a popular livestream livestreaming a major channel for Symbol Livestream based in Tai­ livestreaming industry, regulators ing goes: “Every village has a ture and music critics. host in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, advertising and selling goods. yuan is one of the emerging players in Shanxi have another concern. temple of Guan Gong”. Renowned musician Jing Jian­ starts her show on a Tencent lives­ Grasping this opportunity, Jin­ in the sector. Tian Xin, head of e­commerce at Guan was one of the most shu, a native of Yuncheng, is the treaming platform at 7 pm every day. shanghang opened its online show­ “Since our founding in May, we the Shanxi Department of Com­ prominent generals of his time leading composer of the symphony. The influencer is also known as rooms and Erya immediately have broadcast more than 100 merce, said the authorities are focus­ serving under the warlord Liu Before composing the sympho­ Erya among netizens. Her job is to turned to be a livestreaming star shows for brands in Shanxi and the ing on developing a healthy regulative Bei. He played a significant role ny, Jing spent more than two promote various products to poten­ with more than 10 million followers. rest of the country,” said Wang Kun, environment for the market. in the civil war that led to the col­ months visiting 13 counties and tial customers via livestreams. An Erya­featured livestream dur­ an executive of the company. “After studying the industry in lapse of the Han Dynasty and the cities in Shanxi, talking with local Erya is charming and always has a ing the Nov 11 shopping festival gen­ Young as it is, Symbol Livestream Shanxi and the rest of the country, establishment of the state of Shu opera artists and ordinary resi­ friendly and familiar smile. The erated a gross merchandise has a professional team that is capa­ we identified promoting fake and Han, of which Liu was the first dents, drawing inspiration from neighborly affinity is her unique transaction value of 9.3 billion yuan ble of catering to the varied demands low­quality products, and releasing emperor. their understanding of the histori­ selling point, and generates trust ($1.42 million), a record high for a of clients, the executive said. untrue, illegal and immoral infor­ Liu Bei was said to be a descend­ cal figure. among viewers. Jinshanghang livestream. In addition to the promotion mation as the major problems in ant of the Han royal family and his “As the music is meant to be The 26­year­old has been working During the entire Nov 11 shopping online of products and services, livestreaming practices,” Tian said. state of Shu Han was regarded as a performed for ordinary people, it for Jinshanghang Technology, a festival period that lasted about two Wang Kun said Symbol Livestream He noted that provinces like Zhe­ legitimate extension of the previ­ has incorporated many folk ele­ multichannel marketing company weeks, Erya worked a total of 45 also offers training for companies, jiang have pioneered in issuing reg­ ous dynasty. This confirmed Guan ments,” Jing said. “Before its based in Taiyuan, since she graduat­ hours on nine livestreams in various especially small and medium­sized ulations for the industry, clarifying as a warrior for a righteous cause debut in Beijing, the symphony ed from a university three years ago. cities in Shanxi, generating a gross enterprises, helping them with the responsibilities and accounta­ and distinguished him from other was performed for locals in Yun­ Jinshanghang operates official merchandise transaction value of branding and finding market bilities of platforms, product suppli­ generals in the same period. cheng, and revisions were made accounts on WeChat using text con­ 18.2 million yuan. opportunities. ers and livestreaming hosts. Known for his exceptional valor according to the suggestions of tent and video blogs to promote In addition to Erya, Jinshang­ He added that the cultivation of “We will learn from these pioneers and loyalty, he was deified as the locals.” products and services for various hang has a 100­strong flock of hosts qualified livestreaming profession­ and establish our own regulatory Guandi or Emperor Guan. companies. for livestreaming shows, according als requires more exchanges among framework in Shanxi,” Tian said. Regarded as a sage for his mili­ Li Yali contributed to this story. During her first two years at the to Li Bin, deputy general manager of the industry’s insiders. company, Erya mainly worked as a the company. For this purpose, Symbol Lives­ Guo Yanjie contributed to this story.

Jinshang Merchants Museum opens

A concert featuring Guan Yu is debuted at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on Dec 15. WANG RUIRUI / FOR CHINA DAILY Secrets of the zodiac unearthed in village

By YUAN SHENGGAO The Taosi site covers an area of about 4 square kilometers, with The establishment of 24 zodiac about 2.8 sq km devoted to an terms is believed to be an out­ ancient city. standing contribution to the world In addition to the 13 columns, made by ancient Chinese almanac ancient sun beam observation scientists. devices like gui and biao were dis­ The Jinshang Merchants Museum in Taiyuan opened to visitors for free in its trial operation on Dec 28. The museum, located in the city’s The system of the zodiac, used covered at the site. Xinghualing district and covering a floor space of 30,000 square meters, displays items related to the famed Shanxi merchants — or by Chinese people in both ancient Another milestone discovery Jinshang merchants. Shanxi is known for its historical commerce that was developed by the Jinshang merchants. It is said Jinshang and modern times, was recognized were the pottery relics with picto­ merchants dominated commercial circles in North China for about 500 years during the Ming (1368­1644) and Qing (1644­1911) dynasties. as an intangible cultural heritage graphs. Archaeologists believe Many of these successful merchants started out as small vendors. They made their fortune by selling goods like tea, silk and porcelain in item by UNESCO in 2016. these were an ancient writing sys­ regions as far away as Russia. KOU NING / FOR CHINA DAILY An archaeological discovery in tem more than 500 years older Taosi village in Xiangfen county, than the oracles written on bones Shanxi province, proved that the and turtle shells discovered in system was in place some 4,000 Anyang city, Henan province. years ago. Taosi is now a major destination “Excavation of the Taosi site for historical and cultural explora­ Textile firms to benefit from upgraded coal industry started in the 1950s and the proc­ tion tours in Shanxi province. ess has lasted more than 60 years Cui Yongwang, a resident from By YUAN SHENGGAO He said one of the advantages for to today,” said Gao Jiangtao, one of Taiyuan, is a regular visitor to Tao­ the development of the industry is the archaeologists who joined the si. He paid his most recent visit on Shanxi’s economic transforma­ that Shanxi has one of the lowest excavation and research three dec­ Dec 21, the winter solstice. This tion that aims to upgrade its coal electricity prices in the country. ades ago. date features the shortest daylight industry will lend new vigor to the This is a big draw to businesses who Gao said one of the important hours of a year as the sunbeam local textile industry, insiders and want to invest in Shanxi’s textile discoveries were 13 compressed angle is the smallest. officials said at the 2020 China industry. earth columns. “We observed the columns’ pro­ Textile Conference held in Taiyu­ Twelve large projects were signed “We didn’t know the function of jection with reference to the sun an, Shanxi province, on Dec 22­23. between Shanxi’s local companies the columns at the beginning,” that day and attended a lecture The event, organized by the Chi­ and investors from other parts of Gao said. “However, after years of given by archaeologists,” Cui said. na Textile Industry Federation, the country during the event. observation of the columns’ pro­ Gao was one of the lecturers at attracted the participation of more Investment totaled 100 billion yuan jection under the sun, we realized the event. He assured guests that than 1,000 delegates from through­ ($15.3 billion). this was the site of an ancient every time they visit the site there out the country. A 10­billion­yuan coal­based observatory, with the columns will be new discoveries. Sun Ruizhe, chairman of the chemical fiber project signed used to measure the sun’s beam “Only 0.5 percent of the site has CTIF, said China’s textile industry is between Huayang Group based in angle and determine the 24 zodiac been excavated and research on on a new track of growth with the Yangquan, Shanxi province and terms of a year.” the site can last many decades,” development of new materials. Shanxi­made textile products are displayed at the 2020 China Ruyi Group based in Jining, The 24 zodiac terms are still Gao said. “Shanxi is renowned for its coal­ Textile Conference. PENG KE’ER / FOR CHINA DAILY Shandong province, was the largest. used to guide agricultural produc­ mining industry and coal is one of From the former Yangquan Coal tion in China, Gao said. Li Yali contributed to this story. the major resources for making syn­ Group, Huayang is now a compre­ thetic fibers used in the textile er materials to supply the booming national market via the Silk Road hensive company featuring an industry,” Sun said. textile industry in Shanxi and the more than 1,000 years ago. industrial chain incorporating coal Shanxi is piloting comprehensive rest of the country,” Wang said. In the last century, Shanxi was a mining to chemicals and synthetic reform to diversify its economy and The official said Shanxi has a long major exporter of textiles in China, fibers. upgrade the traditional coal indus­ history in the textile industry. with its export volume once ranked Ruyi, meanwhile, is one of the try, said Wang Hongjin, chief of the “Shanxi is said to be the birth­ second in the country, according to leading textile companies in Shanxi Department of Commerce. place of Luozu, the legendary forefa­ Wang. He added that it is still a Shandong province. The official said that in this transi­ ther of China’s textile industry. And major base for textile machinery in “The project will be a win­win tion, Shanxi’s coal industry is archaeologists found silk from the country. move as it can help us to build a com­ extending its value chain to cover 6,000 years ago at a site in Yuncheng “We are in the right time to devel­ plete chain from raw materials to more sectors and coal­based chemi­ city, showing the textile industry op a modern textile industry as we final textile products,” said Du Yuan­ cals is one of them. was not only a legend,” Wang said. have abundant resources and a shu, executive president of Ruyi. “Our manufacturers are making According to the official, Shanxi’s friendly business environment for Replicas of compressed earth columns are erected at the Taosi coal­based synthetic fibers and oth­ silk products were sold in the inter­ the industry,” Wang said. Guo Yanjie contributed to this story. site to measure the angle of the sunlight. JIAO YULONG / FOR CHINA DAILY

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