2024-04-18 05:42:38
Don Meihua, a native of a remote mountain village in Shidian County, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, juggles the two roles of entrepreneur and vlogger, Radio China reports.
However, her passion for the latter is garnering a lot of attention as her videos not only excite the taste buds but also evoke a sense of nostalgia.
Known as Dianxixiaoge, or Yunnan foodie, on social media since 2016, the 34-year-old now has around 40 million online followers in China and abroad, and her videos receive up to 50 million views each.
In the bamboo forests of Western Yunnan, she demonstrated the joy of cutting bamboo and making various products; in the sugar cane fields capture the traditional process of brown sugar production; and, swimming through deep water, immerses himself in the joy of gathering fresh lobsters.
“I shoot everything that reflects the uniqueness of Yunnan,” Don says, also mentioning his first video documenting the process of harvesting and frying bamboo worms. She often prefers short videos that are visually arresting and allow her to grab viewers’ attention quickly.
“When I was young I was determined to leave my hometown and look for opportunities in the city,” she says.
“However, after returning from my adventures elsewhere, I found a new passion for exploring and showcasing the beauty of my home province, as Yunnan has a unique cuisine and a wealth of specialties.”
Dawn’s dedication to rural exploration has seen her shoot daily and post weekly for seven years, resulting in over 600 short videos to date.
“Food is not just for filling the stomach. She is also an integral part of our memories,” she says, adding that audiences love seeing her family’s everyday happiness as they share three meals a day.
In late 2018, Don’s videos began to be posted on foreign video platforms and social media, and many overseas Chinese students volunteered to translate the subtitles of the videos into multiple languages. She currently has over 10 million followers abroad.
In late 2019, she was invited to speak at Oxford University, where she shared her journey as an ambassador for Yunnan cuisine and culture.
Don is also dedicated to helping more villagers in Yunnan have shared prosperity. She collaborates with food factories and promotes over 120 local agricultural products on her social media profiles.
She has also used the live broadcast to endorse local delicacies such as rice noodles, small coffee beans, dried meat, red tea, dates and green beans.
Don says the combined daily sales of her platforms reach 200,000 yuan ($28,200), which in turn supports more than 1,000 jobs.
“Life in Yunnan is worth seeing,” says Don. “I will continue to use my camera to capture everything here, truly letting the world see my beloved home province, and also welcome more friends from home and abroad to visit Yunnan.”