URUMQI -- A large-scale live streaming event featuring poverty alleviation products in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region was inaugurated Friday, according to the regional commerce department.

The 10-day event will introduce a wide range of local specialties to help broaden online sales of agricultural products in Xinjiang and increase the income of local people through VR and other advanced livestream means.

Taobao Village Live, a live-streaming platform run by e-commerce giant Alibaba, also unveiled the first live streaming academy in Xinjiang on Friday, which would provide more live broadcasting platforms and train more farmers to pick up live streaming.

The e-commerce poverty alleviation alliance in Xinjiang has reached five deals with procurement enterprises for 90 million yuan (about $13.2 million) of local agricultural products including jujube and walnut, among others.