Herders reap the rewards of web connectivity

HOHHOT — Sitting in the quiet grasslands, Qoluman couldn’t stop laughing as he watched a popular video online on his mobile phone.

Despite the fact that his village is deep in the grasslands, Qoluman, 39, a herder in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, can also enjoy the many benefits of the internet.

Qoluman lives in Adancholu village, Xin Barga Right Banner, in the city of Hulunbuir, and spends more than half the year herding his sheep.

Two years ago, Wi-Fi was installed in his yurt, and when he is out herding his sheep, he can access the internet using fourth-generation communication technology on his phone.

“Before, when a guest arrived, the first thing he said was ‘Hello’. Now people ask: ‘What’s your Wi-Fi password?’” he said.

“These days, herders like myself can chat, shop, watch soap operas and play games on our phones. In the past, I could only stare blankly at the grassland because there was nothing to do after work.”

The number of 4G mobile internet users in China exceeded 1.1 billion as of June 2018, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Over the next three years, China will work to improve the country’s internet infrastructure, pledging that 98 percent of villages will enjoy fiber-optic internet and 4G services by 2020.

For Ganzhaorog, 43, in Huugjilt village, Sonid Left Banner, Xilin Gol League, the internet has helped him to build a modern farm since his Wi-Fi was installed three years ago.

In 2015, his farm became one of the first in the village to have a video-monitoring system. By 2016, four cameras that can monitor up to four kilometers were installed, enabling him to see almost everything on his farm.

“The signals and instructions for the machines and sensors are sent via Wi-Fi,” he said.

The system has saved him time and the labor cost of having to physically check his herds — his phone is the only tool he needs to run his farm.

His farm is also equipped with an automatic drinking system to ensure adequate water for his herds. “I can take care of my farm anywhere as long as there is internet,” he said.

The Chinese government has been promoting these monitoring systems in recent years. With subsidies from the local government, herders can get the system installed as long as there is electricity and internet coverage, costing them just between $290 to $440.

Moreover, the internet has brought products from around the country to Enhgyirigarlang village, Dong Ujimchin Banner, Xilin Gol League, where herders live as far as dozens of kilometers from the center. Su Mongh manages an e-commerce station where herders can pick up products they have bought online.