Foreigners booming in Hainan livestream mkt

The afternoon sun slants through the tinted glass walls of a livestreaming base in Chengmai county, Hainan province, casting a golden light on the busy venue.

At 2 pm, the place comes alive. Behind one soundproof door, a young woman from Morocco adjusts a ring light; behind another, a Ghanaian man flashes a wide smile at his camera. In less than a minute, they will begin speaking to thousands of shoppers thousands of miles away — in places like New York, Casablanca, Lagos and Jakarta.

This is not a scene from well-known Chinese e-commerce cities such as Shenzhen, Guangdong province, or Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. This is Hainan, the southern island province known for coconut trees, beach resorts and rocket launches.

But after the island-wide special customs operations came into effect in December at Hainan Free Trade Port, a different kind of tide is rolling in — not of tourists, but of foreign faces speaking into phones, selling "Made in China" to the world.

"What makes me come to Hainan? It's growing. It's a good opportunity. I feel like I'm going to grow together with this island," said Imane, a 25-year-old from Morocco, taking a quick break from her setup.

Her eyes scan a shelf of products: a professional DJ mixer, a foldable electric scooter and Labubu figurines from Pop Mart. "Especially the policies, especially the shipments — you know the ports, the delivery is fast plus it doesn't cost that much money."

Imane is one of a growing number of foreign livestreamers who have made Hainan their home base. Since arriving in October, she has gone from a newcomer to a seasoned host, broadcasting to audiences who once questioned the quality of Chinese goods. Now she speaks not just as a seller, but as a cultural bridge.

During a recent livestreaming session, she held up a sleek electric bike.

"This bike is popular, it's famous, and even trending — especially in the US," she said. Her tone was neither rehearsed nor forced. She speaks with the ease of someone who has lived in China for years — Hangzhou; Guangzhou, Guangdong; Shenyang, Liaoning province; and now Hainan. That journey gave her a layered understanding of a country that many overseas consumers still see in flat, outdated terms.

"Before, it was so difficult because people didn't trust Chinese products," she said. "But when we start explaining — the story of how it comes, we talk about the quality, how it's going to help your daily life — then they start understanding."

She held up a box of coconut tea, a Hainan specialty. "I drink Chinese tea every day — green tea, very refreshing. But when I moved to Hainan, I really like this: coconut tea. In Morocco, we also have tea, it's famous. So I tell my audience: 'This is like your tea, but with a tropical touch'. The biggest challenge is not the language," she reflected.

"It's the trust. But once you show them the story behind the product — how it's made, who makes it and what problem it solves — they become your loyal customers."