China Unicom Steps up to Support Smart Village Construction

China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd. (China Unicom) has stepped up efforts in all aspects of rural vitalization.

Build information highway

China Unicom has promoted 4G, wireless and broadband internet coverage in rural and remote areas in recent years.

For example, it built a 4G network in Longju town in Southwest China's Chongqing which has vast barren land and very little agricultural industry.

The olive, lemons and Plymouth Rock chickens produced in the town were hard to sell because of rough traffic conditions and asymmetric marketing information.

China Unicom helped the town build a 4G network and developed a special smart phone application that promoted online education for local children. It also assured access to high-quality resources and e-commercial outlets for agricultural products.

Advance smart village construction

Focusing on improving supporting facilities for rural information application is key to boosting digital rural governance.

China Unicom launched a supervision platform in Changpu village in Huaihua, Hunan, to monitor all crossings and guarding stations to support local governance.

According to Zheng Fuhong, Party secretary of Changpu, the platform contributed a lot to COVID-19 prevention and control and provided in-time information on emergencies, which guarantees villagers' safety.

The company's supervision system also plays a role in safeguarding other rural areas.

For example, main crossings, blind zones and crowded areas in Daping village in Yongzhou of Hunan are installed with cameras to help monitor senior people and children in emergencies. The monitoring system is also expected to assist the public security departments to fight against criminals.

Medical care is also a major part of rural vitalization and has an undeniable role in smart village construction.

Situated in the Lingding Sea, the Wanshan Archipelago in Zhuhai of South China's Guangdong Province, has been short of high-quality medical resources and strong diagnosis capacity due to inconvenient travel to the land.

To make it easier for local people to access medical treatment, China Unicom and the Zhuhai People's Hospital launched the city's first 5G smart hospital, which is also China's first 5G smart hospital based on an island.

Medical experts at Zhuhai People's Hospital are able to carry out remote medical examinations, telemedicine and remote surgery for people living on the islands through the online platform, which elevates local people's clinic experience and improves treatment efficiency.

People inspect a beehive at the cooperative built by China Unicom in Yuanling county. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Develop local industries

Developing industries is a key material foundation of rural vitalization.

China Unicom helped build a beekeeping cooperative at Faguantang village in Yuanling county in Huaihua of Central China's Hunan Province to increase local people's income.

It also opened an information cooperative in Guoyuan village in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, to bridge the gaps between farmers and online retailers and products and marketing channels, and to harmonize processing and sales.

Considering the environmental and natural resources of Guoyuan, the company decided to develop solar power generation in the village and invested 200,000 yuan ($30,600) in construction of a photovoltaic power station.

China Unicom will step up efforts to consolidate poverty-alleviation achievements, promote rural vitalization and accelerate modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

Zheng Fuhong, Party secretary of Changpu, Hunan, inspects village conditions through the supervision platform built by China Unicom. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)