Online with the Times

by+Zoe+Zhao

Nyima is a businessman resid- ing in Jinchuan County， Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture， Sichuan Province. After growing up in Aba， he traveled to Shannan Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region and later India in the 1990s to do business. In 2009， he returned to Aba where he established a company producing yak jerky， one of the prefectures most popular products. His highquality， tasty and affordable jerky was soon sold in many Chinese cities and even exported to Russia.

In 2013， Nyima opened an online store on Taobao， Chinas biggest online marketplace. In contrast to the situation in his brick-and-mortar shop， online sales were quite disheartening in the initial stage. “At first， only a few of my staff could operate an online shop， let alone promote products，” he lamented. He soon found a solution. Along with training his employees， Nyima hired eight internetsavvy workers to help him explore the online market. “Young people are fasterlearners and I think most of them master computers and the internet very quickly. My new employees did a great job in terms of online marketing. Things have gradually become easier while our online shop maturing.”

Nyimas story is common in Aba today. The prefecture administers 13 counties mainly consisting of highland and alpine valleys， which have given birth to quite a few international tourist destinations including Jiuzhaigou Valley， Huanglong Scenic Area， Wolong National Natural Reserve （a home of giant pandas）， and Four Maidens Mountain.

For centuries， a multitude of ethnic groups have inhabited Aba， including Tibetan， Qiang， Han， and Hui. They work together to develop the land， especially since the founding of Peoples Republic of China in 1949. Recently， an exhibition focusing on the development and achievements of Aba opened in Beijing. The seven-day exhibition， housed in four showrooms， traces the progress of Aba over past decades， through geographical conditions， economic growth and infrastructure development.

Many facets of the prefectures rapid development in recent years are worth a closer look， such as development of information technology and a fast-growing logistics industry. Today， many locals prefer to buy things on the internet via smartphones. Businessmen in Aba， a community of Tibetan and Qiang people， also sell ethnic specialties on the internet. A random search for just “Aba” on Taobao returns 100 pages of Aba products， including snacks， fruits， ethnic-style rings and necklaces， home decorations， herbs and traditional medicines.

In contrast to Nyima， the younger generation in Aba is definitely more experienced in terms of utilizing the internet. Seng Gema， a 26-year-old from Qiang ethnic group， returned to Aba to start his own online business after graduating from a university in Chengdu， capital of Sichuan Province， in 2012. Along with his younger sister， they launched an ethnic accessory business. “Since both my sister and I graduated from universities in major Chinese cities， I think we are more open to new ideas and bolder when trying new things such as the internet，” he opines.

The two have a clear division of labor. While his younger sister is responsible for negotiating with local craftsmen and factories to acquire the refined accessories， Sengs task is to explore the online market and boost sales. In 2014， they witnessed sales of 2 million yuan. “I still believe we need to do more to attract more people to our shop， and we still have much to learn，”remarks Seng.

Traditional industries are also booming in Aba. Traditional Chinese herbs， for example， have brought wealth to many locals. Norbu Drolma， 45， now cultivates Sichuan fritillary bulbs instead of crops on her land. Known for its ability to cure coughing and reduce phlegm， Sichuan fritillary bulbs sells quite well in the domestic market. “Planting them is not as difficult as I thought it would be，” Drolma grins. “Also， my family and I get technical support from our local agricultural bureau. We earn much more from planting fritillary bulbs than crops.” Additionally， mushrooms， grapes， plums， and animal husbandry have reaped huge profits for locals.