IN VIDEO: The little loofah that launched an industry

视频中的小海瓜,引领了一个产业的诞生。

Round Table China

2026-10-09

34 分钟
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单集简介 ...

You've probably used one to scrub a pan. Maybe you've even worn one on your feet or found it hiding in a skincare product. But the loofah is far more than a bathroom staple. It is the backbone of an industry that spans provinces, employs thousands, and ships products around the world. What does its rise tell us about how rural areas in China is reinventing itself? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yu Bokun.
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单集文稿 ...

  • When it's young, you eat it, and when it's old, you put strings on it and wash your body with it.

  • It's so unique in that sense.

  • I can't think of anything else.

  • After the farmers grow the loofahs, they peel them and then send them to maybe another industrial base.

  • Exactly.

  • And the manufacturers will design and add all the different parts.

  • There's a lot of product scrubber and shoeing and so on.

  • There's one possibility that I've never think of.

  • This is a pet toy.

  • For a dog.

  • True toy?

  • Yeah, exactly.

  • A lot of people would buy this for their pets because first of all, it's cute.

  • You have to admit it.

  • And second of all, it's natural and biodegradable.

  • So it would be safe for their pets to chew it.

  • Well, you may have used a loofah today, as a matter of fact.

  • I know I did before I came to work.

  • Body scrubs, shoe insoles, things to wash your dishes.

  • I watched videos this morning, too, where a lady was making a dress out of a loofah.