Travel may be routine for the young, but for many elderly villagers in remote China, it remains a distant dream. That is why this August, 27-year-old influencer Li Yayun, better known online as Li Fugui, racked up lots of social media likes when she organized a one-day, all-expenses-paid trip for 46 seniors from her Henan Province mountain village to the provincial capital, Zhengzhou. For many, it was their first time visiting a city.
Li has gained millions of followers on Douyin since 2021 with heartfelt videos of her rural life, selling vegetables, cooking pancakes, caring for her parents (both of whom are mentally disabled) and supporting her family. Nicknamed “Vegetable Xi Shi” after Xi Shi, one of the famed ���four beauties” in Chinese history, she is also admired for her resilience and compassion.
Her August 19 video documenting the trip went viral. To ensure the seniors’ safety, she recorded their health conditions, took blood pressure, prepared medications and insurance, and hired four tour guides. The two-coach trip cost her more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,800).
Li’s blend of beauty, kindness and grit has earned her over 11 million fans, and boosted her reputation as an influencer bringing real change to her home community.
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