When Zhao Yanjun quit his e-commerce job in 2015 to return to his hometown in the countryside, all for the dream of becoming a beekeeper, he had little idea that just a few years later he'd turn back to e-commerce to sell his honey.

Tens years on from leaving Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to return to Luokeng township, Zhao's beekeeping business has become a local success and the buzz about it is spreading.

The 35-year-old manages six large-scale apiaries with over 6,000 bee boxes. Last year, he earned a profit of more than 600,000 yuan ($85,000).

"Luokeng has many high-quality agricultural products such as tea, honey and mushrooms, but many people are not aware of them," said Zhao while discussing his plans to start livestreaming to promote sales further afield.

"The climate in the mountains is suitable for beekeeping, and honey can be harvested all year round," he said.

"The flowers bloom early in spring, while the winter is not as cold as in the north, making the honey production relatively stable throughout the year."

Zhao's apiaries adopt a free-range model, allowing the bees to fly freely to collect large quantities of pollen.

"As long as the quality is guaranteed, I don't need to worry about whether my products will sell or not," he said, adding that honey is a health supplement product with a wide consumer base.

Zhao has already sold his honey in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities, but said there is further room for growth via e-commerce, adding that he expects to be able to produce 20 metric tons of bee products annually in the near future.

The beekeeper is also teaching local farmers how to keep bees.

"I studied marketing at school, and now in an era of rapid e-commerce development, I can utilize my knowledge to improve the market presence for agricultural products from my hometown," he said.

"Beekeeping has become a major sideline business for many local farmers. They can generally earn around 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year from it," said Zhao.

Zhao's apiaries have even been listed as a local demonstration base for beekeeping, and an endeavor that can enable local farmers to shake off poverty.

Huang Jiawen, the Party secretary in Zhao's village, said he is a young man with a pioneering and innovative spirit.

"Zhao is a major beekeeper in the village. He often teaches villagers beekeeping techniques and assists them in selling products," Huang said.

In 2025, Zhao is excited about the potential sales that livestreaming will bring about, which he said would be a new starting point and provide him new opportunities.

Since last year, he has traveled to many places including Guangzhou and Wengyuan in Shaoguan to learn about livestreaming and sales platforms from friends in the industry.

He also plans to adopt advanced technologies and equipment such as artificial intelligence to expand the scale of his business and ensure product quality, though the project is still in the learning and exploration stage.

Zhao said the domestic honey market has great potential and there are still many products that can be developed.

"My future plan includes diversifying the development of our honey products, such as doing deep processing and promoting nutrition supplement products and beverages in the following months," he said.

The beekeeper said he also plans to explore cultural and tourism projects, including local homestays and other rural vitalization initiatives.

Liu Yiwei contributed to this story.

zhaocaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn