New earphones allow the blind to 'watch' movies

The Red Star Cinema in Shanghai on Nov 26 became the country's first to debut special equipment for people with visual impairment, allowing these individuals to share the same theatre with others.

The new wireless earphones introduced are used to play oral descriptions of the happenings on the screen. Before the introduction of such equipment, special movie events had to be set up where commentators would describe the scenes to the visually impaired.

The equipment was donated by the Shanghai Film Technology Factory and the Shanghai Charity Foundation. 

Launched by the Shanghai Film Distribution and the Projection Industry Association, the project will expand to include 50 cinemas across the city's 16 districts.