They are armed with an iPhone and a foldable tripod—and a power bank, a fan clipped to the phone’s back, and their makeup kit.

And they seem to be at work all the time—livestreaming either from their breakfast table, a moving bus or a supermarket. Adding voiceover to the scenes captured, they deliver a torrent of content to millions of Chinese devouring live videos about a hotpot restaurant, a Jialing river boat or a Chongqing opera facechanging show.

Xiao Jing, a 22-year-old from Jiangxi Province in southeast China, is one of those dedicated women who constantly interact with users online to build both a fan and client base.

Their ultimate goal is to become online influencers who can appeal to a growing internet clientele in China, steadily adding up since the lockdowns induced by the 2019 Covid outbreak.

They use the livestreaming platform Douyin, the Chinese version of Tiktok from the company Bytedance. They operate from their seven-storey headquarters in Shanghai and its 17-floor Chongqing office, where they stage regular live ecommerce sessions, selling products in thousands every few minutes to online buyers around China.

They eat and dance before the camera to engage buyers before putting a product up for sale. One evening in the last week of July, the Haishan Media platform sold hundreds of kilograms of a chicken leg delicacy within a minute.

According to data from market consultancy iResearch, cited by China Daily, the revenue of China's livestreaming e-commerce sector reached 5.8 trillion yuan ($803.3 billion) last year, with the compound annual growth rate reaching 18 percent between 2024 and 2026.

The eye-popping online sales transactions are a reflection of a growing willingness of Chinese consumers to make the most of promotions, further strengthening their online shopping habits, experts cited by the newspaper observed.

The number of internet users in China hit 1.1 billion by December 2024, up 16 million from the previous year, according to an industrial report on the country's internet development.

The state-owned newspaper notes that this milestone highlights the vast potential of China’s digital economy.

A report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) revealed that internet penetration in China reached 78.6 percent in 2024.

By the end of the year, the number of online payment users in China had surpassed 1 billion, while 974 million Chinese people had engaged in online shopping.

Data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed that in 2024, the country’s total online retail sales reached 15.52 trillion yuan (about 2.15 trillion US dollars). There is a tough competition among livestreaming companies to claim a bigger revenue share.

The steady growth of China’s online retail sector is based on the rapid expansion of 5G and broadband coverage nationwide, spanning both urban and rural areas.

Stable internet connectivity has helped foster online shopping among a wider range of internet users, including the elderly and rural residents. According to the CNNIC, nearly 70 percent of netizens aged 60 and above and over 76 percent of rural internet users shop online.

Short video and livestream platforms have become a major medium for online shopping. A vast majority of short video and live-stream viewers have reportedly made purchases after watching, with more than half of users regularly tuning in to livestream sales.

Xiao says she joined the Shanghai headquarters of Haishan Media last year. An economics graduate from a Wuhan college, she lives alone in the Chinese city dubbed the Paris of the East.

The company she works for has a combined workforce of close to a thousand people in its two offices. There are another over-a-thousand affiliated streamers working under sub-guilds the company has established in several other cities.

“I earn enough for my upkeep and also assist my parents occasionally,” Xiao says, asked about her income. “My pay depends on my performance.”

Xiao says she feels proud to be able to connect with netizens all over China. “Through my own effort, I have gained widespread recognition and support, which gives me a great sense of achievement,” she told the Post.

Her job values both her beauty and talent and gives her freedom. “Like every young woman, I feel empowered to be making a living this way,” she says.

At a dinner reception for a 20-member Nepali team led by Ajit Khadka, president of the International Scout Volunteers Group, Nepal, Ni Haishan, the company owner, jokingly said: “I can give you everything, but not these girls,” pointing to a few young women sitting around the table in a gesture of value he attaches to his employees.

Company workers the Post talked to said some of them were making big money. They said Ni had brought an adolescent girl from a poor family, who had now been earning handsomely through livestreaming sales.

Within six months of its establishment, the Chongqing branch generated a revenue of 1.2 billion RMB (approximately $200 million), according to Huang Wenqi, general manager assistant for Haishan Media.

With its average daily broadcast exceeding 200 hours, the company has 11 departments to support livestreamers. In addition to regular pay, an individual’s performance is rewarded through audience tips and donations. Huang is among the top earners.

The company aims to expand its market reach to 10 countries including in Europe and America by 2027.

The organisation also plans to incubate a self-owned streaming brand “Haishan Movie” and develop regional specialty products such as Gansu Lily. It is looking to open a third office in another Chinese city, according to Ni, who founded the company in 2019.

Towards meeting its social responsibility goal, the company in 2024 provided a total of 3,120,000 RMB (over $400,000) in relief to the earthquake-hit community in Gansu, company statistics show.

The “Haishan Public Welfare Fund” aims for an annual endowment exceeding 500 million yuan, according to company representatives.

The head office has long-term cultural exchange activities in countries including Nepal where they conduct broadcasts such as “Spicy Hot Pot” to acquaint local students with Chinese culture.

Haishan Culture has partnered with the ISVG Nepal to conduct Chinese language classes in Nepal. It has announced its plan to build and operationalise 10 Chinese language schools around the country over the next few years.