Liu Guixi (Left) and his son were setting up a basketball board in their courtyard in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Feb. 3, 2020. (Hu Dongyu/Xinhua)
Merry-go-round, swing, seesaw, basketball hoop… A farmer got creative by building a playground for his grandchildren in his courtyard while many others feel bored staying at home due to the ongoing novel coronavirus infection in China.
HOHHOT, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- While many in China feel bored staying at home due to the ongoing novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), 58-year-old farmer Liu Guixi in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region got creative by building a playground for his grandchildren.
Liu's courtyard is now filled with homemade playground equipment such as a merry-go-round, swing, seesaw and basketball hoop for his three grandchildren who have spent around a month at his place.
"There was not much for them to do other than playing on mobile phones," said Liu, a former carpenter. He decided to build a basketball hoop for them at first, and later moved on to create more facilities.
Photo taken on Feb. 3, 2020 shows farmer Liu Guixi's grandchildren were playing basketball with the facility he built in his courtyard in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Hu Dongyu/Xinhua)
Liu made good use of available materials at hand. He used wood planks to create the swing and the seesaw. The merry-go-round was made by fixing a tire on an iron base for rotation, with a tripod welded on top connecting three seats.
For the basketball hoop, Liu used wood for the backboard and steel pipes as the stand. The height of the stand is adjustable so that his grandchildren, one nine years old and two five-year-olds, can all share in the fun.
Liu's effort also delighted his sons and daughters-in-law. His sons enjoy spending quality time with the children helping them on the swings and merry-go-round.
"The children love playing outdoors with these facilities, and it's good that they have cut their dependence on smart phones," said his daughter-in-law Yang Xiaoxia. ■