This Day, That Year

Item from Jan 14, 1991, in China Daily: Seventy-six-year-old farmer Bi Cheng listens carefully to check the quality of a tape recorder which he is about to buy in his village in Anqiu county of Shandong province. Supply and marketing cooperatives in the county often deliver goods to villages, which not only helps the farmers but also increases sales volume.

After 24 years, Chinese consumers no longer treat small electronic goods such as tape recorders as expensive family property.

From 2008, farmers have been eligible for government subsidies for electrical appliances such as TV sets, refrigerators and washing machines to help boost rural consumption.