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Shangyu district in Shaoxing has emerged as one of the world's largest manufacturing bases for umbrellas, producing 620 million umbrellas worth over 13 billion yuan ($1.89 billion) every year, local media reported on March 29.

The district's Songxia sub-district has even developed a live-streaming base for the e-commerce sales of umbrellas. The base has eight broadcast rooms, 76 stores, and 32 e-commerce influencers, three of whom have over 10,000 followers.

In 2022, the base had a transaction volume worth more than 50 million yuan and an e-commerce transaction volume worth 1.27 billion yuan. This has driven an annual income increase of 70,000 yuan for about 360 people in the surrounding areas.

"We have established a Party committee for the umbrella industry supply chain that focuses on employers, low-income farmers, and people with disabilities. We have paired 139 low-income individuals with suitable jobs," said the Party chief of Songxia subdistrict.

Presently, the sub-district has attracted 136 umbrella manufacturers and helped increase the incomes of more than 3,800 people. In 2022, the average annual income of employees exceeded 70,000 yuan, and 37 percent of the employees had a monthly income exceeding 10,000 yuan.