Fashionistas have fruity fun selling their produce

Wang Xiangfeng, a farmer in Wenxia village in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, and her friends love promoting her produce with short videos of them performing country-style fashion shows that she shares online.

They have brought joy to villagers and netizens with their infectious smiles, exaggerated actions and the "clothing" and accessories they wear, all made from local materials.

"I know it's very rustic, but it's really funny," the 45-year-old said, adding that many social media users said they feel comfortable and relaxed while viewing their performances.

In one video, the performers wear necklaces made of golden Nai plums, skirts made of long cowpea, shirts made of bags used to pack agricultural supplies, and headgear made of wildflowers and grasses.

Scrolling through Wang's social media accounts, one can see that in addition to the fashion show, there are other videos of the performers laughing, dancing and promoting her products, particularly the plums, against a rural backdrop.

The plums on their necklaces were harvested from Wang's orchard. This year, the output of the fruit was about 50,000 kilograms.

Wang said the performers have never received any training.

"Our years of experience of dancing in the square might have helped us face the public and show ourselves in front of the camera," she said.

Thanks to their special shows, Wang's plums, both fresh and dried, sold out by the end of September.

There are more than 1,000 villagers in Wenxia, which is located in Ganzhou's Chongyi county.

"Life in the village is hard. We usually wake up at 5 am and work all day," Wang said. "Fortunately, in recent years, we have found a new way to relax — dancing."

In 2018, a small square was built in the village. An official turned to Wang and persuaded her to organize the villagers to do some activities, such as square dancing.

Wang, who has an upbeat personality and is popular among the villagers, did not let the official down. Now, every evening, more than 100 villagers go with her to dance in the square.

It was also in 2018 that she started selling the plums. She found that her fruit tasted really good, but it didn't sell well because of the high price.

"It was frustrating, but I was moved by the help I got from my friends," Wang said.

She also uses her social media influence to help her fellow villagers promote their navel oranges, which are also a specialty in the southern part of Jiangxi.

"We are making more video clips about navel oranges on short-video platforms," she said.

Wang also likes taking part in other people's model shows and musical performances, and she volunteers to accompany seniors on errands in the village.

During the May Day holiday, Wang and her friends put on a fashion show for some construction workers who were working in the village.

"They are building highways and bridges for our hometown. We wanted to thank them in our own way," Wang said.

Zhang Ying and Hou Danping contributed to this story.