Chinese tech giant Tencent offers a long list of services ranging from gaming to instant messaging. Since 2015, the company has been focusing on villagers across China. The "WeCountry" app enables farmers to better communicate and sell their crops. The hope is to help lift people out of poverty, as CGTN's Omar Khan reports.

China's efforts in lifting people out of poverty are nothing new in rural parts of the country, often taking the form of funding subsidies or infrastructure development. But tech-firm Tencent has taken this initiative to a new level. Four years ago they developed and launched a platform called WeCountry. It enables villagers to realize their potential, and take greater control of their future.

CHEN YUANYUAN PROJECT HEAD & LEAD, "WECOUNTRY" "The platform has four major sections and nearly 70 functions. Village affairs and financial information are posted on the app. Subsidies and living allowances are also posted, which is something villagers really care about. A 'secretary inbox' feature allows villagers to write in concerns and voice their problems. It provides and enables communication. We saw children and people in villages lacking a sense of companionship. So we thought of transforming villages into "internet villages", and help kids and the elderly use smartphones. We wanted to connect them with the outside world and improve communication. That's where the idea originally came from."

Aside from encouraging communication, the platform has a built-in e-commerce function, allowing farmers to market their harvest and expand their business. But for many locals here in the villages outside Guangdong Province's Heyuan City, getting on board with the WeCountry app was originally, not that appealing.

OMAR KHAN LONGCHUAN COUNTY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE "When first introduced, villagers here in Longchuan had no interest in taking part in such a platform. But over time, many of them, the government included, realized that having a network and a service that enables people to prosper, was truly worth embracing."

Previously in villages across Guangdong, some WeCountry platforms had a mere two active daily users. But as of May this year, over 11-thousand villages in nearly 30 provinces and autonomous regions in China, have registered with the app. More than 2 million people have also signed-up. Meanwhile, government support has also been essential in integrating the technology, and collaborating with both villages and with Tencent.

LIU YOUWEI FIRST SECRETARY OF ZHUTANG VILLAGE "In the past villagers and the local government were disconnected. People didn't know whom to go to when trying to solve a problem. Now, villagers and local committees are closely linked. Government officials face all of the villagers and can engage with them online. To be honest, it's a lot more work now, but we need to contact the masses as much as possible. It's of great benefit to the Party's trust and building cohesion with the people."

As for locals, using WeCountry is simply about improving their lives and providing greater efficiency on how their communities are taken care of.

LOCAL VILLAGER LONGCHUAN COUNTY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE "The app is really good as public notices are posted and can remind villagers of weather conditions such as heat waves or flooding. It's a type of warning system. We can also notify others if structures or houses have been damaged or destroyed. It can allow people to be evacuated and transferred to safer ground before a natural disaster strikes."

LOCAL VILLAGER LONGCHUAN COUNTY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE "We can sell our agricultural products on the platform, which has greatly improved our lives. Everything is open and transparent, such as village affairs and financing. It has facilitated communication and now our crops and farmed goods can be seen online by the entire country, benefiting us farmers."

Rural vitalization has often been used to describe the strategy and targeted poverty alleviation that's taking place across many parts of China. But it doesn't always have to take on a traditional form, as witnessed here in Guangdong Province. And even though the WeCountry platform is purely something intangible, what it's creating is all that matters. Omar Khan, CGTN, in Longchuan County, Guangdong Province.