ARMED with just a smartphone, a tripod, a blackboard, and a piece of chalk, 81-year-old Liang Zhenqing launched his livestreamed classes on Douyin, a short video platform, in January. In less than a year, his account “Learn Agriculture With Mr. Liang” has drawn over 197,000 followers, despite his unassuming appearance and strong Mandarin accent. Aside from his classroom-style lectures, Liang also livestreamed sessions working with green vegetables in his rooftop garden, imparting practical guidance as he irrigated or weeded. A follower of Liang noted, “His way of teaching is vivid and straightforward,” adding that urban farming’s popularity in Chinese cities fueled his growing influence. “Working with tomatoes and cucumbers on the balcony can be a healing and decompressing experience for urbanites.” Liang has been retired from his job at the agricultural bureau in Hefeng County, Hubei Province, for more than two decades. Having devoted many years to studying agriculture and finding solutions to real-life problems on the job, Liang didn’t stop contributing to society after his official retirement in 1998. Over the years, Liang has authored books on growing fruits, tea trees and medicinal herbs. More than 20,000 farmers from 25 villages in his native Hefeng County have attended his off-line training sessions. His free online classes teach people technical knowhow on growing many sorts of plants, including flowers, fruits, tea trees, and traditional Chinese medicine herbs. To get his agricultural expertise across to a larger audience, his family helped him launch a Douyin account, starting a livestreaming career. Initially unfamiliar with livestreaming, he recollected, “I had no idea where the start button was, let alone how to interact with netizens and post videos.” With his grandchildren’s help, Liang gradually mastered smartphone skills. After a month of livestreaming to lukewarm response on the platform, he suddenly saw a surge in following. Interacting with his viewers, Liang can always provide to-the-point advice to their practical questions. By press time Thursday, his Douyin account has accumulated 197,000 followers. Many liken him to a walking agriculture encyclopedia due to his close association with real-life concerns of the farmers. In 2017, when a fruit fly outbreak devastated citrus crops in Tielu Township, Liang dedicated himself to helping the farmers overcome the issue. Over three years, he educated the farmers about insects and assisted in implementing control measures, ultimately bringing the outbreak under control and enhancing citrus fruit quality and yields. Most of Liang’s online followers are young people, as per data. Liang said that there are always some punctual fans waiting for him to start his livestream. Often, long after the livestream was scheduled to end, his family can hear him in the other room, laughing and discussing with fans. After class, some followers would write briefings on the content of the live broadcast. Liang affectionately refers to them as his “class representatives.” Huang Yifei, a student at Hubei Minzu University’s forestry and horticulture college, said, “I am a student majoring in landscape gardening and a loyal fan of Liang. I never miss his live broadcasts. Whenever I have a practical problem, I consult him, and his insights are often helpful.” (SD News) | 