“Hi there. Welcome to my channel. I love you all.”
That’s how Jun Jun, a livestreaming host with disabilities, starts his program that has more than 3,000 followers.
Not long ago, Jun refused to have any contact with other people, but through his livestreaming channel, he has developed a bond with the outside world.
On Jun’s livestreaming platform, viewers can buy food, agricultural products, and handicrafts made by people with disabilities. It not only provides him with an income, but also helps other people with disabilities learn new skills and earn a living through e-commerce.
“Outline of the Work for Persons with Disabilities” was ratified by China’s State Council in 2006 for improving the status of persons with disabilities, providing assistance in terms of living, employment, health and education. Training sessions, webinars and vocational competitions are frequently held to further help people with disabilities find an independent position in the society, with the assistance of public sector, enterprises and NGOs, which enhances their mental health and vocational skills.
China has been launching campaign these years to promote the employment of people with disabilities, especially those living in poverty. With the boom in the Internet economy, new business forms such as livestreaming e-commerce have become a great source of job creation and income.
Jun’s connection with livestreaming originates from his participation in a livestreaming e-commerce contest for people with disabilities held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, last year. A total of 218 people with disabilities from Hangzhou took part in the competition. Their total sales revenue hit 236,600 yuan ($36,673).
“Through proper training, people with disabilities can show themselves confidently in front of the camera,” said Luo Zhongli, deputy director of the Hangzhou Comprehensive Service Center for People with Disabilities.
According to Luo, almost all of the participants in the contest had zero experience in livestreaming, but through proper training they could master the skills needed for the post.
Sun Chaopeng, an organizer of the contest, said, “livestreaming is a technique that people can learn to use in a short time through training so as to better realize their personal value.”
Lu Yiming, an official with the Hangzhou Comprehensive Service Center for People with Disabilities, said the contest promoted the participants to learn from each other so as to let more people with disabilities master the skills needed to become an e-commerce livestreaming influencer, prompting them to keep pace with the development of information society.
No one should fall behind in the endeavor for common prosperity and in building a moderately prosperous society.
Chinas poverty reduction has offered experience to outside world, especially to the developing and least developed countries, said B. R. Deepak, an Indian sinologist and professor of New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University.
