Loudspeakers bring nostalgia to rural China but also keep 'left behind' informed

LANZHOU - Loudspeakers are making a comeback in villages as China's rural population continues to age.

Wu Wenkui passes on the latest news and information via a loudspeaker to fellow villagers in remote Xiaowu in East China's Shandong province every day.

"Subsidies for growing rice are now available for collection," the loudspeaker broadcasts Wu's voice. "Please bring your land permit to collect your subsidy from the office."

For many Chinese, loudspeakers, which were used to disseminate information in rural areas during the era of collective economy in the 1960s and 1970s, are now thought of as memorabilia. With the emergence of modern technology such as TV sets and the internet, the use of loudspeakers had almost faded into history.

But Cao Xingwei, Party secretary of Shandong's Shimiao township, said as rural youth leave for jobs in big cities, the demand for loudspeakers for the "left-behind" elderly population is rising.

The township recently spent about 300,000 yuan ($43,741) purchasing loudspeakers for all the 127 villages under its jurisdiction.

On a daily basis, from 7:30 to 8:30 am and from 5 to 6 pm, the loudspeakers "reawaken the spirit of the village", said Yao Xingqing, 53, a Shimiao resident. "They are particularly useful in spreading news about the current events in the village."

By the end of 2016, more than 220 million Chinese were above the age of 60, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The government predicts the country's elderly will account for about one quarter of the population by 2030. The aging population is particularly noticeable in rural China. In 2011, the number of senior citizens in rural China accounted for 15.4 percent of the entire rural population, 2.14 percentage points higher than the country's average, according to the Gerontological Society of China.

In an era of information accessibility, many elderly rural residents don't know how to operate modern equipment like computers, increasing the need for loudspeakers, according to Cao.

Yao said he was unsure what to do with straw from the corn harvest in October, but heard on the village loudspeaker that a nearby feed mill was purchasing straw.

"I collected the straw from my 0.47-hectare corn field and sent it to the mill," he said. "I earned more than 2,000 yuan."

Yao said that in the past, straw was left in the field to rot or sometimes burned, which was "not only a waste of resources but also bad for the environment." Thanks to information he heard on the loudspeaker, he transformed that straw into money.

But it's not just moneymaking opportunities being broadcast, the service can also help prevent natural disasters.

When Qinqi township in Gansu province received torrential rain a few years ago, the loudspeakers broadcast warnings for villagers, preventing damage and the loss of lives, according to He Yanqi, a local official.

"In times of extreme weather, we usually send out warnings via text message, but residents in remote mountain areas often have weak signals and cannot receive the messages," He said. "Loudspeakers have proved to be more effective."

Loudspeakers are re-emerging in villages across the provinces of Shandong, Gansu and Hunan.

"We no longer feel bored while working in the fields," said Yao. "Now we can listen to the news while working."

Cao said that the effectiveness of the loudspeakers will be evaluated to improve the service in the future.

Xinhua

(China Daily USA 05/30/2017 page3)