E-Commerce Giants, Gov't Create New Markets in China's Rural Areas

(Changsha) – China's major e-commerce giants and the government are following through on plans to turn the country's huge rural areas into new markets. The efforts are linking hundreds of millions of villagers to e-sales websites, while also creating sales channels to urbanites for everything from farm produce to tickets for lesser-known tourist spots.

E-commerce giants like Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. and JD.com Inc. see China's large number of rural counties as a new possibility for growth after getting city dwellers hooked on buying goods from websites. Meanwhile, the government hopes the new business activity can lift some desperately poor areas out of poverty.