From Yiwu to the World: A sock trader goes global with short videos and AI

Fu Jiangyan records promotion videos with AI tools in her store based in the Yiwu International Trade Market. (People's Daily/Dou Hao)

Though the global trade landscape is constantly shifting, Fu Jiangyan, a sock trader based in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, remains unshaken. With over two decades of experience, she has weathered multiple global financial crisis and built a name for herself in the industry.

On May 8, 2024, dressed in a bright pink traditional ethnic-style outfit, Fu appeared on the iconic screens of New York City's Time Square, promoting her socks in fluent English. The appearance earned her 500 new followers for her social media accounts. But for Fu, speaking English is hardly a novelty. On her platforms, she introduces her products in 36 different languages, attracting customers from around the world.

The secret behind these multilingual videos is AI (Artificial Intelligence). All Fu needs to do is say "one two three four five" in Chinese while showcasing her product. AI tools then generate videos where she appears to speak fluent foreign languages, with lip-syncing so precise that it's nearly indistinguishable from native speech.

Fu Jiangyan makes AI-generated videos. (Photo/Wu Fengyu)

These videos are paying off. A customer from South Africa placed an order for 50,000 dozen pairs of summer socks after watching one of her AI-generated Spanish videos.

Fu started using short videos to draw customers seven years ago. She understands that price competitiveness is the key to survival in the sock business, where thin profit margins mean success depends on scale. Back in 2012, she made her first international sale to Fiji through Taobao without ever meeting the buyer face-to-face, relying solely on phone conversations. The efficiency of that experience opened her eyes to the power of online business. Since then, she has become one of the early adopters of AI-generated videos to market her products. "Everyone has heard of AI," she says, "but not everyone would actually try this new technology."

Initially, people around Fu doubted whether anyone beyond Chinese users would pay attention to these videos. But she persisted—and found global buyers. These online customers became her buffer against market risks. Today, she updates her video content daily, showcasing her extensive range of socks and offering behind-the-scenes footage of her factory, complete with modern equipment designed to meet diverse demands.

Fu Jiangyan (second from the left in the front row) attends a Spanish class On June 6, 2025. (Photo/Xinhua)

Timing is everything for merchants in Yiwu. "Clients would lose patience if you take too long translating on those apps," she recalls, regretting the deals lost because she could not speak Russian.

While making multilingual videos with AI, Fu also studies Spanish herself. Every morning at 8:40, she attends a foreign language reading class in Yiwu. She listens and repeats Spanish content on her way driving home. Thanks to her efforts, she can pronounce relevant colors and numbers accurately and understands her clients quite well when discussing price.

She has plans to learn Arabic next and produce Arabic-language videos. Today, Fu sells 20 million pairs of socks annually, owns a complete storefront, and operates a 10,000-square-meter factory. Still, she feels the heat of rising competition as more businesses adopt AI tools. "Pressure is always there," she said, "but we have to keep moving forward."

Intern Geng Yujie contributed to this story.