Family can finally shower at home

Every time Shi Wenliang takes a shower at home, he think back to the days when he had to trudge to the public bathhouse. Keeping yourself clean can be a complicated ritual when you live in a remote village in Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Before 2011, Shi went with his father to the public bathhouse in town, several kilometers away, two or three times each month.

“It was always a long wait,” the 15-year-old recalled. “There were so many people waiting to wash themselves that the bench in the bathhouse was always full and everyone else had to stand or squat to chat. When I got bored, daddy would buy me candy.”

His two sisters went to a separate bathhouse with their mother. “Sometimes we could not make it back home the same day and had to stay at grandma’s house. My weekend was often ruined by taking a shower,” said Shi Wenting, the younger sister.

Between 2011 and last year, the family was able to wash instead in a company bathhouse at the coal mine where Shi Wenliang’s uncle worked. But still, it was not much fun. “We had to leave in the early hours of the morning on a motor tricycle,” Shi Wenliang said.

“If we had to feed the goats or there was other farm work yet to be done, we had to rush back at night,” said his mother, Li Fumei.

Finding somewhere suitable to bathe has long been a problem in the rural areas of Northwest China.

In the past, it was not unusual for villagers to wash only three or four times a year, as they did not have water heaters at home or public bathhouses in their villages.

“In summer, we used to wash in a nearby river or warm the water under the sun, but that was impossible in winter,” said Yin Huiming, another villager.

Last year, the Shi family were finally able to shower at home for the first time thanks to having their own solar powered water heater installed, paid for through a government program to improve washing facilities in rural areas.

“We only paid 420 yuan ($61) for the 2,000 yuan heater, the government covered the rest of the cost,” said Shi Zhanquan, the father.

In 2015, the local government earmarked 200 million yuan for the installation of water heaters in 200,000 rural households that have difficulty accessing suitable facilities. Since then, more than 400,000 water heaters have been installed and the project is expected to cover all of Ningxia by 2018.

Installing solar-powered showers has not only made it easier for people to wash, it has also cut coal consumption, as less is burned to heat up water for a quick wash at home on cold days.

“Coal use is expected to fall by about 30,000 metric tons in Ningxia, saving at least 32 million yuan a year,” said Jia Xiangfeng, head of a local energy station.

Being able to shower has also opened Shi Wenliang’s eyes to a new world of possibilities.

“I never imagined I could take a hot shower at home,” he said. “It made me start to wonder what else there is that I have never seen.”