Internet entrepreneur vows to increase village income as honorary headman
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E-mail chinaplus.cri.cn, November 26, 2017
Liu Qiangdong, also known as Richard Liu, founder and CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, will take a new role as an honorary village chief, thepaper.cn reported.
On November 28, he will be inaugurated as honorary head of Pingshitou Village in Fuping County, Hebei Province, one of the most impoverished areas in the region.
Liu posted photos of his new business card on his social media Weibo account on Friday, saying that his childhood dream has finally been realized.
He aims to have a tenfold increase in the village's average household income within five years with all the villagers being lifted out of poverty.
"The target will be realized by industrial means instead of by donations," Liu vowed.
A local official said after field investigations, Liu's team is considering establishing a pigeon base in the village which will boost incomes along with trade in local products.
Further details will be discussed after Liu's inauguration, the official said.
JD.com signed a "Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement on Precision Poverty Alleviation through E-commerce" with the State Council's Office of Poverty Alleviation last year, to help alleviate poverty through production, entrepreneurship, and employment.
According to a People's Daily report in August this year, more than 100,000 impoverished households have benefited from the project, with an average increase in income of 2,000 to 3,000 yuan (around 297 to 446 US dollars).
The company started to cooperate with Fuping County in September 2016 to develop the edible mushroom industry.
JD.com is one of the two largest online retailers in China. The company ranked the 261st on the 2017 Fortune Global 500 List. Its shares are listed on the Nasdaq.
According to the company's financial statement, as of September 30, 2017, it had 266.3 million active users over the past 12 months.
On the Forbes 2017 Billionaires List, Liu was ranked 174th, with a net worth of 7.7 billion US dollars.
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