Foreign Hosts Help Hainan’s Livestream Market Grow
The afternoon sun shines through glass walls at a livestreaming base in Chengmai county, Hainan. At 2 pm, the place becomes busy. A young woman from Morocco adjusts a ring light, and a man from Ghana smiles at his camera.
In a few moments, they will talk to shoppers far away in cities like New York, Casablanca, Lagos and Jakarta. This is not in Shenzhen or Hangzhou. It is in Hainan, a southern island with beaches, coconut trees and rocket launches.
After special customs rules started in December at the Hainan Free Trade Port, more foreigners came to livestream. They sell "Made in China" products to the world.
Imane, 25, from Morocco, says she came because Hainan is growing and offers opportunity. She looks at a DJ mixer, a foldable electric scooter and Labubu figurines from Pop Mart. She likes the policies and fast, low-cost shipments through the ports.
Imane arrived in October and is now a confident host. She has lived in Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Hainan. She says people used to doubt Chinese products, but when she explains the story, the quality and how items help daily life, they understand. She drinks Chinese tea every day and now loves Hainan’s coconut tea. She tells viewers it is like Moroccan tea but with a tropical touch. The biggest challenge, she says, is trust. When she shows how products are made and who makes them, many viewers become loyal customers.