A man from Matian town (L) introduces walnuts to customers at a bricks-and-mortar store of Yimadai E-commerce in Zuoquan county, Shanxi province, Feb 28. The walnuts planted by the man sell well online with packing and advertising provided by the e-commerce company. In 2016, Yimadai E-Commerce purchased the walnuts of poor residents in Shanzhuang and Zecheng villages at 10 yuan ($1.54) per kilogram higher than the market price, boosting their incomes. So far this year, the company has signed agreements with 55 local households below the poverty line to help each of them add around 3,000 yuan ($434.39) to their incomes this year. [Photo/sxrb.com]

A bricks-and-mortar store of an e-commerce company in the village of Shanxi. There have been more than 100 county-level e-commerce service sites and 17,000 village-level bricks-and-mortar stores of e-commerce platforms or companies in Shanxi as the province has promoted this emerging industry in rural areas. Rural e-commerce is transforming villagers' livelihoods and improving their incomes. Shanxi aims to establish 30 rural e-commerce demonstration counties by 2020. [Photo/sxrb.com]