Have you ever seen an ostrich up close? 🦩 Meet Zhan Yun, aka "Tuo Feifei (Flying Ostriches)," a female entrepreneur in a rural area of the Chinese mainland who's turning feathers into big business on Douyin, the local TikTok. Using two smartphones strapped to sticks, she livestreams daily as her curious ostriches peck cabbage and dusters. Sounds quirky? It's a stroke of marketing genius!
With 720,000 followers, Zhan Yun isn't just going viral for cute birds—she's producing about 5,000 ostrich feather dusters every day to keep up with orders. This momentum isn't just boosting her revenue; it's also creating around 50 jobs for locals, mostly women, fueling rural revitalization and economic growth in her community.
Scrolling through Douyin, you might think this is a travel vlog or wildlife show, but it's actually a slick sales pitch. It's reminiscent of how food vloggers in Jakarta or gamers in Bangalore engage audiences: authentic, interactive, and fun. Zhan Yun takes it up a notch with giant birds nibbling cabbage—what's not to love?
For us tech-savvy, socially conscious Gen Z and millennials in South and Southeast Asia, Zhan Yun's blend of farm life and livestream trends shows how local traditions can go global—no passport required. Next time you're online, think about what unique story you could share to spark your own digital hustle. 🚀
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
