Elderly given cellphones to reach families

Authorities in Qingshen county, Sichuan province, recently gave cellphones to residents aged 60 and older as gifts ahead of the Double Ninth Festival that will fall on Sunday, a traditional Chinese festival that advocates filial piety and respect for elders.

The phones are to enable the elders to better communicate with their family members, some of whom are migrant workers in other cities, Yuan Guoqing, the county's Party chief, told Sichuan Daily.

The cellphones distributed by the county government were specially designed for the elderly residents and included larger buttons and louder volume.

Local telecommunication operators will offer the cheapest options to the users to ensure they could afford their cellphone bills, Sichuan Daily reported.