Chinese villagers struggle for heat as gas subsidies fade

The Power of Chinese Villagers' Struggle for Heat as Gas Subsidies Fade

Xushui, China - Almost a decade after China began curbing coal burning to stop thick winter smog, villagers in northern Hebei province are struggling to afford their heating bills with most gas subsidies now phased out.

In the central room of Yang Yaohua's home, an old electric radiator is all that keeps her family warm during freezing temperatures. The 77-year-old said she and her daughter-in-law had to spend more than 1,000 yuan ($150) on coal to heat the house for a week before a gas hookup was available but they couldn't afford it.

It's very cold this winter, Yang said through chattering teeth in her home village of Xushui. We're afraid to go outside.

The Chinese government is trying to reduce reliance on coal and curb greenhouse gas emissions, which means switching from coal-fired heating in rural homes to cheaper natural gas or electricity.

In 2014, the central government banned new residential buildings in northern regions from using coal for heating. Five years later, subsidies were cut for most families as part of a plan by President Xi Jinping's ruling Communist Party to reduce carbon emissions and make China less dependent on coal.

The changes have hit rural households particularly hard because they cannot afford natural gas or electricity. The government plans to eliminate all coal use in northern regions by 2025 but has yet to say how it will help poor villagers cope with the increased costs of alternative fuels.

A village official in Xushui, who like many Chinese bureaucrats wouldn't give his full name, said the county had no money for subsidies and that people were having a hard time. The official was unable to provide details on whether aid might be coming or how many households were affected.

The subsidies' elimination has been accompanied by price hikes and shortages of coal, which still remains the most popular form of heating in rural areas. In Xushui, coal prices rose as much as 30% this winter compared with last year, villagers said.

Dai Wenhua, a retired farmer, spent nearly half her monthly pension to buy wood for heating.

Life is becoming more and more difficult, she said.

In the nearby city of Shijiazhuang, which has banned coal use in central areas since 2011, local officials said they are trying to help vulnerable households by offering free wood, but demand outstrips supply.

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.