英闻天下——338 Incentive for Home Appliance Purchase Ends

 　　China's five-year policy of subsidizing the purchase of home appliances in rural areas came to an end on January 31 with a total government subsidy¹ of 100 billion yuan leading to over 600 billion yuan in spending by rural residents. For more on the story, here's Wang Wei.

 

　　In December 2007, the central government announced the policy of subsidizing home appliance purchases in rural areas to stimulate² consumption and improve the livelihood³ of the residents.

 

　　Under the policy, rural residents are entitled to subsidies⁴ equivalent to 13 percent of the prices of designated types of home appliances as refrigerators, television sets, washing machines, computers and air conditioners.

 

　　In Sheyang County in the developed east China province of Jiangsu, villagers are very happy that almost all the households now own color television sets, refrigerators and washing machines. Shen Jing is an official from Sheyang County Bureau of Commerce.

 

　　"This stimulus⁵ policy has achieved tangible⁶ results in our county. The government set a total sum of subsidies of over 100 million yuan, which has eventually pushed our market spending to more than one billion yuan. It's really a remarkable⁷ result."

 

　　In Nanjiang County in southwestern Sichuan Province, the policy led to an overall rural spending of 284 million yuan over the past years, which equals to this poverty-stricken county's yearly revenue.

 

　　According to statistics from the Ministry⁸ of Commerce, a nationwide total of around 300 million home appliances were been sold in rural areas in these years, with a turnover⁹ of nearly 730 billion yuan.

 

　　Mei Xinyu, research fellow at the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation says the subsidy policy was designed mainly to stimulate China's domestic market and make up for the losses in the shrinking overseas markets.

 

　　"The policy stimulus in the last five years has indeed played a great role in pushing domestic consumption and helping¹⁰ protect manufacturing firms against the global financial crisis."

 

　　Helped by the subsidy policy, the ownership of home appliances by rural households has come close to a saturation¹¹ point.

 

　　Statistics by the end of 2007 showed that 95 percent of rural households owned color television sets, 25 percent had refrigerators and the figures rose to 116 percent and 62 percent respectively in 2011.

 

　　And as the stimulus policy was expired, the government has issued a new subsidy policy for energy-saving home appliances to replace the previous subsidy policy.

 

　　Experts pointed¹² out that urbanization is now progressing from a rate of 50 percent to 70 percent. Emerging new towns will bring another boom in the rural market of home appliances.

 

　　Yang Dan is electronic product decision consultant¹³ at Ministry of Industry and Information.

 

　　"This is because urbanization has changed the rural residents' lifestyle and their concepts of spending. All these changes, to some extent, will pave the way for the next upgrading of home appliances."

 

　　For CRI, I'm Wang Wei.

1 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

2 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

3 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

4 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

6 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 saturation   

n.饱和(状态)；浸透

参考例句：

• The company's sales are now close to saturation in many western countries.这家公司的产品销售量在许多西方国家已接近饱和。
• Road traffic has reached saturation point.公路交通已达到饱和点。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

13 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。