Background
In 2015, while I was still in college, I often used my spare time to earn money and engage in independent environmental research and advocacy. With the freedom of having little to no financial pressures, I was able to devote significant time to these activities. In 2016, I joined a volunteer organization called the “Firefly Ecological Line,” which focuses on the mass capture of live fireflies and the commercial interests surrounding them. After completing undercover field investigations at capture sites, I spent two months during the summer compiling the “2016 Taobao Firefly Data Investigation Report.” This report was based on my findings of the hot sales of live fireflies on Taobao and the field research I conducted.
In August 2016, I published the report on the Firefly Ecological Line’s WeChat public account. The report highlighted that, as of the end of July 2016, there were 96 shops on Taobao selling live fireflies, with a monthly sales volume reaching 346,218 transactions.
On May 23, 2017, through a fortuitous opportunity, my colleague Chen Yanyan, with the help of a volunteer Mrs Peng from Sichuan, sent the “2016 Taobao Firefly Data Investigation Report” and a letter to Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce platform, recommending the prohibition of firefly sales. Remarkably, just 26 hours later, Alibaba announced a ban on the sale of live fireflies, and Taobao promptly removed all listings for live fireflies from their platform.
Foreword
In the rapidly advancing digital age, Taobao has become a key platform for many people’s shopping needs. However, with the progress of urbanization, various types of pollution, including light pollution, have become more prevalent. Fireflies, known for their delicate beauty, are increasingly scarce as a result.
Capitalizing on the romantic sentiment that fireflies evoke, merchants have begun capturing and selling them under the guise of educational and scientific promotion. Taobao has emerged as a significant channel for these sales. This prompted me to conduct a detailed survey and data analysis on Taobao’s firefly sales.
Survey Methodology
At the end of July 2016, I searched for “live fireflies” on Taobao to gather information about shops selling live fireflies. I then visited these shops to collect data and contacted customer service representatives to obtain information on firefly prices, shipping origins, transportation methods, and monthly sales volumes.
Survey Results
1. Live Firefly Sales on Taobao
Shop Information My statistics indicate that there were 96 shops on Taobao selling live fireflies, an increase of 58 shops compared to the previous year. The majority of these shops are based in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province. Excluding 29 shops with unclear sources, 67 shops had identifiable shipping locations. Of these, 57 shops (85%) shipped from Ganzhou, Jiangxi. The remaining 10 shops shipped from regions like Guangxi, Yunnan, Hubei, and Jiangsu.
Additionally, some large-scale commercial events involving significant purchases of fireflies occur through private transactions that are not reflected in transaction records. This suggests that the actual volume of live firefly sales is likely much higher than what the shop data shows.
Data Statistics By the end of July, I recorded the following monthly sales data on Taobao and Alibaba:
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- Taobao Platform: 346,218 transactions, with an estimated 17,310,900 fireflies sold (assuming 50 fireflies per transaction).
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- Alibaba Platform: 164 transactions, with 113,201 fireflies sold.
This results in a total of:
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- Taobao’s July sales: 346,382 transactions, totaling 17,424,101 fireflies.
In mid-July, the sales were recorded as:
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- Taobao Platform: 249,187 transactions, with 12,459,350 fireflies sold.
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- Alibaba Platform: 158 transactions, with 97,601 fireflies sold.
Resulting in:
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- Sales from June 15 to July 15: 249,345 transactions, totaling 12,556,951 fireflies.
Comparing these periods:
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- By the end of July, there were 7 more shops and an increase of 97,037 transactions and 4,867,150 fireflies sold compared to the mid-July data.
Note: Most shops sold fireflies in quantities of 30-50 per transaction. Given the difficulty in obtaining precise transaction numbers, I estimated based on reviews, with sales usually between 50 and 100 fireflies per transaction. Hence, 50 fireflies per transaction is a conservative estimate, and the actual sales volume may be significantly higher.
2. Shipping Methods on Taobao
According to courier regulations, the transport of live animals is generally prohibited. In mid-July, out of 89 Taobao shops:
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- 20 shops had unknown shipping methods.
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- 62 shops (90%) used SF Express for shipping.
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- 7 shops used alternative methods.
By the end of July, due to SF Express’s stricter controls on live animal shipments, the shipping dynamics changed notably:
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- 8 shops still used SF Express.
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- 37 shops explicitly stated they no longer used SF Express and switched to other methods:
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- 10 shops chose different courier services.
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- 12 shops used bus logistics for nearby regions.
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- 4 shops accepted only large orders (over 3,000 fireflies), using bus logistics.
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- 11 shops stopped selling fireflies altogether.
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- 37 shops explicitly stated they no longer used SF Express and switched to other methods:
3. Trends in Firefly Purchases
Data from early and late July shows that firefly transactions surged as Qixi Festival approached. This uptick in sales was largely driven by couples and businesses organizing firefly release events to create a romantic atmosphere during the festival.
4. Demographics of Firefly Buyers
Based on Taobao reviews, firefly buyers generally fall into three categories:
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- Couples: Young people buying fireflies as romantic gestures.
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- Parents: Middle-aged buyers purchasing fireflies for their children, many of whom have never seen fireflies.
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- Event Organizers: Businesses hosting firefly events in parks, tourist spots, and real estate locations, using themes of romance and education to attract visitors.
5. Spatial Distribution of Firefly Sales
My analysis of Taobao sellers’ contact information revealed patterns indicating that many shops were actually part of the same supply chain. For example, in Ningdu County, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, there were 7 main sellers and over 10 distributors. Many other sellers acted as agents for these primary suppliers.
To meet market demand, merchants from regions like Nanning (Guangxi) and Kunming (Yunnan) have also joined forces with suppliers in Jiangxi.
Some sellers obscure their true shipping origins, listing locations such as Zhejiang, Shenzhen, or Guangzhou, while actually sourcing from Jiangxi or Yunnan.
Field investigations confirmed that firefly capture and sales operations are concentrated in Ningdu County, Ganzhou. Due to high demand and local government crackdowns, these activities have expanded to surrounding towns and even neighboring counties.
On August 4, 2016, in Dagu Township, Ningdu County, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, fireflies were caught in a net. Fireflies removed from their natural habitat quickly die.
Photo: Visual China Group
Related Articles:
Taobao Announces Ban on Selling Wild Live Fireflies: Experts Advocate Focusing on Habitat Protection
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