Wang Zhaozhan, Party chief of Changjie town, Ninghai county, promotes local razor clams in a livestream on Douyin, an online short video-sharing platform, on Feb 29. [Photo/crn.cn] 

Livestreaming is being increasingly adopted as a new way to promote tourism products and sell local specialties in Ningbo. 

Cheng Cheng, who runs a homestay in Hucheng town, Ninghai county, started to promote local specialties on social media platforms such as Douyin and Little Red Book in early March, after his homestay business was forced to grind to a halt due to the epidemic. 

The decision has proved to be successful. 

Through live broadcasting, Cheng said that the daily sales of specialties like glutinous rice cake could reach 1,000 yuan ($144.9).

Meanwhile, the broadcasts have also raised awareness of his homestay, which welcomed over 80 guests after reopening.

Cheng Cheng is not alone. 

Chen Suchao and Wang Xuewei, a couple running a flower farm in the city, have also showcased their products via livestream. 

According to Wang, since the beginning of March, the flower farm has sold more than 6,000 pots of flowers, nearly twice as many during the same period last year. 

She expected a slump in sales due to the epidemic, but the livestreaming gave her a "big surprise". 

Their flower farm has gained in popularity as their online store has accumulated more than 50,000 followers.

Meanwhile, some local officials have also joined them. 

Wang Zhaozhan, Party chief of Chanjie town in Ninghai county, and Shi Rou, the town's mayor, promoted local razor clams on Douyin on Feb 29. 

At the end of the stream, Shi asked viewers to scan a QR code and place an order. 

"Scan it, scan it, and scan it." His manner of speaking was similar to Li Jiaqi, who is considered Taobao's “king of lipstick” on the website's livestreaming platform. 

Changjie is known as the "home of razor clams" in China, and more than 7,000 of the town’s residents are involved in the seafood industry. 

As of 4 pm Feb 29, 409 orders for razor clams totaling 1,024.5 kilograms had been sold on the town's online store.