CHANGSHA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Like many men at his age, Peng Guofei, 75, is a doting grandfather. Unlike his peers, he is also an avid livestreamer who has garnered internet fame.

"I'm the 'Xiangxi Grandpa Fei' for everyone on the internet," Peng told Xinhua at his home in Yangmu Village in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hunan Province.

Discussing social issues, introducing tourist attractions and touting local specialties, Peng has attracted 161,000 followers on his Douyin account, receiving more than 100 million views and 3.45 million likes.

Peng's hometown Yangmu, situated deep in a mountainous area, had a high poverty rate of 40.5 percent in 2014. The industry development had been restricted by the poor infrastructure in the village.

Thanks to the country's poverty alleviation efforts, Yangmu has seen improving water and electricity facilities in recent years. A 15-km optical fiber has been laid and the village has achieved full coverage of 4G signals.

In 2019, the village was lifted out of poverty, with the poverty rate dropping to 0.33 percent.

To help villagers increase income and prevent them from returning to poverty, local officials turned their eyes to livestreaming e-commerce.

At the end of 2019, village officials invited well-known media professionals to start a livestreaming training class for villagers.

When Peng heard the news, he signed up for the class immediately.

"He told us he'd like to be an internet celebrity," said Dai Haiwen, a Party cadre of the village. "Although Peng is the oldest person in the training course, he was very active in class and had a strong interest in new things."

After the one-month training class, Peng opened the account of "Xiangxi Grandpa Fei" on Douyin in September, embarking on a journey to become a well-known livestreamer.

"Garnering internet fame can make more people know about my hometown's special products. The livestreaming sessions are a channel for us to lure customers and make handsome profits," said Peng.

Source: Xinhua