The Growth Process of a Taobao Village Case Study of Village D In Shandong Province, China

Developing rural e-commerce is seen as an effective measure to revitalize the economies of rural communities and is beginning to spread in several countries. However, conditions in rural communities are limited and lack the necessary elements for its promotion. Alibaba Group's Taobao Villages, a remarkable achievement of China's rural e-commerce development, has demonstrated strong vitality and is receiving increasing attention. Therefore, this research study into a Taobao Village, which has been developing in Shandong Province for more than a decade, conducts an in-depth analysis of its development history to provide a reference for rural e-commerce promotion. This paper proposes an 'internal innovation & external support' analytical framework for presenting the growth process of the rural community, which can explain how to sustain long-term operations and enhance e-commerce competitiveness. In addition, the paper confirms that the development of a Taobao Village is led by local-villager entrepreneurs, and this rural development strategy can encourage a diversity of entrepreneurs to participate in entrepreneurship and competition, all of which are worthy of further research and replication.