In Qianshuikou Village, Laixi City, Qingdao, a striking purple potato variety that can be eaten raw has taken the market by storm. Introduced from abroad in 2022, this unique crop delivers a crisp, sweet flavor with no starchy aftertaste, making it perfect for fresh eating or juicing. This year’s harvest reached an impressive 8,000 kg per mu (about 0.067 hectares), with some tubers weighing up to 0.75 kg each. Even before the harvest began, the entire crop was pre-ordered by merchants, and online prices have reached 6 yuan per jin (0.5 kg) – two to three times higher than ordinary potato varieties, bringing farmers substantially higher returns.
The success story reflects years of experimentation and technological improvement. Starting with just 5 trial mu in 2022, when yields were only 4,000–5,000 jin per mu, the cultivation area has now expanded to 15 mu, with yields nearly doubling. Live-streaming promotions have turned this purple potato into an agricultural internet celebrity, transforming the village – which has over 20 years of potato-growing history – into an online sensation. Former village party secretary Zhang Hao noted that the purple potato has built a loyal customer base across China, and he plans to launch his own live-streaming sales soon. Beyond domestic sales, the initiative has also opened export channels: smaller premium potatoes that previously couldn’t find buyers are now shipped to Southeast Asian countries at 0.5 yuan per jin, significantly boosting farmers’ overall income. Zhang Hao’s vision is to continue leveraging online platforms to convert digital traffic into tangible earnings for every villager, encouraging more farmers to adopt specialty crop cultivation and benefit from e-commerce opportunities.
