HOHHOT, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- In the yurt of herdsman Sayen in the grassland in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, two rectangular blackboards display a poem dedicated to the medics fighting the novel coronavirus.

The poem, titled "Love's Dedication and Sincere Blessings," was written by Sayen in both Chinese and Mongolian.

Sayen, 57, said he initially intended to use the blackboards to promote his works.

"I wrote my poems on the blackboards, and added pictures to them," he said. "Then I used my phone to upload them to WeChat for my fellow herdsmen."

He found that locals quite enjoyed such a way of promotion. In 2019, Sayen started promoting government policies on blackboards, helping locals to understand the policies and learn knowledge.

At a time when electronic media is taking charge, blackboards have made a comeback among residents in rural areas in Inner Mongolia.

A similar situation can be found in Inner Mongolia's Henan Village, where two blackboards hang near the village committee. On the blackboards are slogans written in colorful chalks and meant to inspire people, including "Cheer up China" and "Add oil Wuhan." On the sides of the boards are pictures of wintersweet plants blossoming in the winter, indicating bravery and perseverance.

All these were the works of local villager Liang Manxi。

"In the early 2000s, news did not travel quickly here, and there were limited ways of obtaining the latest information," Liang said. "With the blackboards, I was able to help spread the word."

Now, as the coronavirus outbreak continues, Liang, 61, picked up chalks and updated the blackboards again.

"I am good at writing on blackboards," he said. "And I want to use them to fight against the disease."

As most locals are senior citizens in Henan Village, many of them do not know how to operate smartphones and computers, making it hard to obtain information online.

"Information written on a blackboard is clear and easy to understand," said a village official.

"I like blackboards," said villager Zhang Lin. "They combine the latest news and keep us informed about the virus. They are quite good."