From Party Secretary to Online Celebrity

ZHANG Fei, aged 34, is the first Party secretary for poverty alleviation in Ganjiagou Village, Xiaojin County, Abe Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. In July 2019, his short videos of his family having dinner at their mountain home were posted on social media, and in no time they went viral. The tens of millions of views have since helped Zhang achieve celebrity status, something he accredits to the scenery and appreciation of family life.

- MA LI

“My videos show my family having dinner in our yard. In the forefront, there is our dining table loaded with steaming dishes, while in the background, there is a misty mountainside. Such an ethereal lifestyle is attractive to many people,” said Zhang. The popularity of his 10-second videos revealed to him the unlimited possibilities of the Internet, and sparked his hope about rural rejuvenation in Ganjiagou Village.

Since his first short video was released in November 2016, short videos and live streaming have become a way for local villagers to increase their income. “At the end of 2018, through short videos and live streaming, villagers sold sausages and bacon worth more than RMB 300,000. In the summer of 2019, they sold more than RMB 300,000 worth of matsutake mushrooms,” said Zhang. In his eyes, the Internet economy has given people living in the mountains more opportunities to make money and opened their hearts and minds which had been long closed. “This is very important. It is a change from the inside out, from thinking to action,” he said.

By the end of 2018, 109 people from 26 poverty-alleviation households in Ganjiagou had lifted themselves out of poverty with the help of the government and the poverty-alleviation team. Consolidating the gains and pursuing rural renewal are now part of Zhang’s daily routine.

There are still many things to be done,” Zhang told China Today. He is currently working with Ganjiagou villagers on a plan to develop tourism on the mountain and wineries below the mountain.

First Encounter with Ganjiagou Village

Zhang Fei comes from Anhui Province. He joined the cultural and tourism bureau of Xiaojin County in 2010, after being discharged from the army in Sichuan. In July 2016, he was sent to Ganjiagou Village to serve as the first Party secretary for poverty alleviation.