Ye Xuan (L), a famous actress, and Shao Aijun, director of the management committee of Nantong Home Textile Center, pose for a photo after a livestream broadcast at the center on May 16. [Photo/WeChat account: southtongzhou]

A livestream was broadcast at Nantong Home Textile Center in Tongzhou district, Nantong, on May 16, compered by Ye Xuan, a famous actress, and Shao Aijun, director of the center's management committee.

The six-hour livestream attracted 783,000 viewers and more than 2 million yuan ($281,380) in sales revenue.

At the end of 2019, the home textile center signed a cooperation agreement with Taobao, one of China's major e-commerce platforms, to support the development of its online stores. With the help of Taobao, Ye was invited to do this livestream.

During the livestream, Ye promoted 29 products such as bed-mats, bed sheets, quilts and pillows. A number of orders were placed due to the celebrity influence and discounts.

The home textile industry has been impacted by the outbreak of novel coronavirus and companies are being encouraged to take advantage of the emerging livestream industry, Shao said.

On the same day, Ye also received a certificate of honor for her support for the Nantong Home Textile Center.

"These livestreams are broadcast once a week, and we invite celebrities to be involved," said Chen Naidong, the manager of the livestreaming base at the center. "Companies can also give livestreams here and we will provide training and support services."

The center is contacting popular short-video platforms such as TikTok and Kuaishou to boost the home textile industry through livestreaming.