Corn is a major crop, and also a main source for incomes. Each kilogram of corn is now priced around 2 Chinese yuan. (Photo: CGTN)

As China's poverty alleviation efforts continue, people in less developed areas are now able to put what money they do have towards more modern technology and conveniences. In the northwest China's Gansu Province, e-commerce is extending offline to help solve logistical issues.

Du Yanlin, 47, is a local farmer who recently bought a fridge online. 

"Most of my neighbors have fridges now… it's quite convenient to store food,” said Du.

A fridge is hardly a luxury, but Du spent a whole year thinking about whether or not to buy one. The German brand he bought cost him half of his annual harvest money. But Du saved up and he is now willing and able to keep up with the trend. With some help from technicians, he is happy with the purchase.

Online shopping in Du's village was not even possible until two years ago – deliveries could not reach them back then. A service station for Taobao, China's largest online shopping platform owned by Alibaba, opened a local storefront in late 2016 – extending logistics to local farmers' doorsteps.

"Villagers' demands for home appliances are pretty big – to be energy efficient, affordable and also have a nice look,” said Zhang Xiujuan, the owner of a Taobo service station in Wulipu Village. 

When the service station first opened, only one TV set and one refrigerator sold initially. But so far this year, locals have bought over 20 different home appliances including flat-screen TVs and washing machines.

The owner of this Taobao service station is a local villager, but she spent years working in cities like Beijing and Tianjin before returning home. She says while local people's lives are improving, they need the right information to make choices that actually satisfy their demands.

"Villagers in the past could only hear about commercial products from TV and people who worked in other cities. But now service stations like mine are all over Gansu Province, and we are also sharing information we get online,” said Zhang.

Zhang is now a local know-it-all, eager to bring her village the latest and greatest information via her connections at Alibaba.

She admits that her village still lags behind, but that also gives her hope that local people can be entrepreneurial and try new things.

That way, they can grow together and meet their increasing demand for better lives.