21-year-old woman shepherd in China dubbed ‘gentle desert butcher’ goes viral on Douyin

A 21-year-old woman working as a shepherd in northwestern China has garnered over 7.2 million fans on Douyin, where she shares videos of her daily life.

The woman, named Huiran, resides in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region where she works as a shepherd for her family’s sheep farming business.

Known to her fans as “gentle desert butcher,” Huiran runs a Douyin account called “The Sheep of Gray Wolf,” where she shares glimpses into her life as a shepherd. With over 7.2 million fans, Huiran provides viewers with various content, including herding and nursing sheep, fishing and roasting lamb.

Huiran moved to the farm in 2018 and lives with her family of shepherds. Her daily routine includes looking after around 600 sheep and caring for the flock. The 21-year-old began uploading videos to Douyin in November last year after being inspired by her unique life as a shepherd and the surrounding landscape.

Her Douyin account began gaining traction after she shared a video in February where she slaughters and skins a sheep within eight minutes.

Huiran speculates that her videos have gone viral due to the contrast between her appearance and her job as a shepherd.

“Perhaps there is a stark contrast between my skinny appearance and the butcher footage, as the video became a hit immediately,” Huiran told Henan Economic News.

In another video, one of the sheep in a flock Huiran is leading clumsily falls after running into a fence. She captioned the video: “Let’s say goodbye to men in this world, even male sheep are unreliable and they won’t get back up even if they fall.”

The 21-year-old said she hopes that her viewers will not see her as a brutal butcher as she considers herself to be a little girl at heart.

Featured Image via Douyin

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