County's wealth entwined with flourishing orchids

E-commerce flourished during the COVID-19 outbreak, but growth has slowed in the post-pandemic period, Yan said.

The most capable livestreaming hosts at her company can earn more than 300,000 yuan a year, she said. Most of her e-commerce hosts in Wengyuan are housewives or men who had quit jobs in other cities to take care of their families at home.

However, Yan said the company is short of suitable e-commerce talent. "For sales people, especially in e-commerce, we need more young people. It involves technology," she said.

Yan has about 80 employees in her e-commerce operation in Wengyuan and more than 60 in Foshan where another e-commerce team is being planned to sell the moth orchids.

About 90 percent of the revenue, or more than 10 million yuan, is now generated from Wengyuan Defang Orchid Garden Co's online sales. The company has more than 30 employees engaged in livestreaming, packing, and customer service. Cao said his wife helps him with sales, including the livestreaming.

"Twenty years ago, few people here could speak Mandarin and most spoke the local dialect," he said.

"The salaries have become higher and people have become richer. A good livestreaming host can make tens of thousands of yuan a month," Cao said, adding that land and other resources have become more expensive.

He said the industry needs to be upgraded in areas such as orchid varieties, cultivation methods, and agricultural equipment. However, Wengyuan has the advantage of a full industrial chain to undertake such an upgrade, Cao said.