Why is food the most important thing in the world? 18 selected creations.

Though the 100 applicants came from diverse backgrounds, they shared a common focus on the intersection of food and agriculture with the environment, society, technology, health, history, and culture. They included journalists, farmers, non-profit workers, students, freelancers, media professionals, and artists. Within these applications, we saw a wide range of concerns regarding sustainable food and agriculture, including long-discussed topics such as “youth returning to the countryside” and “who will farm the land”. Many creators focused on trending subjects like fruit and coffee, exploring the land, communities, and markets behind them. Some also raised questions regarding new agricultural technologies such as AI, photovoltaics, and drones.

Over the past two years, many cross-disciplinary activities have begun to take place in traditional wet markets, and some applicants have started to notice the opportunities and challenges these markets present. Conversely, some creators observed that the large-scale entry of e-commerce into the food and agriculture industry may be starting to produce a counter-effect, with many e-commerce and “new retail” models appearing ill-suited to the actual “digestion” and distribution of agricultural products.

Some creators started from their own hometowns or local watersheds to explore the connection between local food, farming, and people. Applicants from Guangdong, Guangxi, and southern Fujian focused on unique local breeding and planting practices; those from river, lake, and coastal regions were concerned with both environmental changes and the livelihoods of fishers. Creators focusing on pastoral regions discovered the anomaly of imported beef and mutton appearing on the tables of nomadic herders. Overseas creators sought to explore the current state of food and agriculture in Europe and the global story of supermarkets.

These 100 applications were not judged as “good” or “bad”; they simply represent the reflections and concerns of each creator regarding food and agriculture. They have shown Foodthink that many people continue to pay attention to food, land, and the people behind them through various forms of expression. We thank all the applicants, as well as the judges and co-creation partners of the Foodthink Lianhe Creation Project for their joint efforts.

Below is the list of selected projects (listed by theme, in no particular order):

Fruit and the World Behind It

“Behind the Sweetness: The Mobility and Labour of Proxy Watermelon Farmers”

Creator: Yan He

Project Description: Watermelons are an indispensable part of every summer, yet behind the sweetness, there is a dearth of writing about the farmers who grow them. My work focuses on a group of proxy watermelon farmers in the peri-urban areas of Jiangsu. They possess a unique characteristic of “double mobility”: on one hand, they leave their ancestral homes to grow greenhouse watermelons in foreign lands year-round; on the other, the nature of watermelon cultivation requires them to change plots of land every year. Despite this seemingly unstable state of double mobility, these farmers maintain a consistent stability in their production and daily lives. Combining a sociological perspective with non-fiction writing techniques, I hope to depict the often-invisible world of these farmers, allowing their experiences of mobility and the landscape of their labour to emerge. I also seek to further question what sustains this mobile labour and how small-scale watermelon farmers manage to survive amidst the impact of large-scale capital.

“Energy Bomb: Who Wins and What is Destroyed in Durian Consumption?”

Creators: Wu Bingcong, Liu Yi

Project Description: Marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, fresh durians from Malaysia are poised to enter the Chinese market. Existing reports have already noted the growing volume of durian consumption in China. As this trend gains popularity, major Southeast Asian producing regions, led by Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, have expanded their cultivation. National statistics show that transnational durian trade has boosted economic benefits for producing areas, but voices of ecological concern have also emerged, citing accelerated deforestation and the destruction of biodiversity. Based on this, we are interested in how this consumption aesthetic was constructed, who promoted it, and who profits? Will the expansion of durian planting areas drive down prices, and what will this mean for local farmers?

Anomalies in Pastoral Regions:

Imported Beef and Mutton on the Herders’ Tables

“The Impact of Imported Beef and Mutton on the Livestock Industry in Qinghai Province”

Creators: Jiao Xiaofang, Qiongwu Tenzin

Project Description: As an important livestock hub in Northwest China, Qinghai Province is renowned for its high-quality beef and mutton. However, we know very little about the specific types and origins of this meat. This project aims to conduct an in-depth investigation of the frozen meat markets in Qinghai to understand how livestock products from around the world circulate into the local market. For example, the frozen market in Adai Township is vast; beyond local meat, there are imports from Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and other countries. These meats are preserved and distributed in frozen markets before being transported to various local outlets. The investigation will focus on the underlying breeding technologies, the distribution markets, and the threats these pose to traditional local livestock farming and species conservation. We will record how locals choose to cope or compromise under this impact. Through a detailed investigative report and a documentary, we aim to reveal the effects of imported beef and mutton on Qinghai’s local livestock industry.

“Why has Imported Beef and Mutton Appeared on the Herders’ Tables?”

Introduction: What comes to mind when you hear that nomads on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have stopped eating the Tibetan sheep and yaks they raise, turning instead to imported beef and mutton? Tibetans often say that nomads depend on livestock, and livestock depend on the grasslands (Tibetan proverb: མགོ་ནག་བརྟེན་ས་སྤུ་ནག།། སྤུ་ནག་བརྟེན་ས་སྤང་དཀར།།). For millennia, nomads have been accustomed to meticulously tending to their animals to meet their own needs. However, as imported meat has begun to appear in these grazing regions, the production models, dietary sources, and household livelihoods of these nomads have shifted. Why has imported beef and mutton appeared in grasslands already abundant in livestock? And why do nomads choose to consume imported meat? In this work, we hope to unravel this pastoral “mystery”.

Smart New Agriculture: A Double-Edged Sword

“Agricultural Drones: Have They Truly Made Farming Smarter for the Farmer?”

Introduction: In recent years, any mention of smart agriculture inevitably leads to agricultural drones. With their immense efficiency, ability to replace vast amounts of manual labour, and reduction of input costs, they have become the “poster child” for smart agriculture. Within various promotional narratives, these drones are framed as highly cost-effective and have become almost standard equipment for modern farming. In the Jiansanjiang region of Heilongjiang, where adoption rates are very high, 90% of rice crops have utilised drone-based pest control services. This project focuses on this specific region, seeking to move beyond macro-discourse to understand which farmers actually choose to use drones, which crops are most suited to them, and who the people are that make a living as drone pilots. It also examines how issues such as pesticide drift are created and resolved. By exploring these practical questions, this work aims to present a more concrete, micro-level view of the agricultural drone industry, told primarily from the farmer’s perspective.

“Solar-Aquaculture Synergy: A Double-Sided Mirror in the Water”

Introduction: “Fishery-solar complementarity” is becoming a buzzword. This innovative “photovoltaic + fishery” model allows the same body of water to be used for both power generation and aquaculture, and is seen as a diversified innovation that simultaneously addresses food, energy, and environmental issues. This synergy is not only a marriage of new technology and traditional agriculture but also brings changes to local farming customs and village life. As more photovoltaic panels “grow” across the water’s surface and we see “solar fish” in the market, I want to uncover the stories behind them. Are the fish happy? Are the fishermen? What changes are they experiencing? In an era swept by waves of technology, how do we attempt to find a balance between new tech and traditional customs?

Matters of the Dining Table

“The Migrant Worker’s Table: On Labour and Eating”

Introduction: In my daily observations, I have noticed that worker couples often return to their rented rooms to cook after work, and spend their days off cooking with fellow villagers and friends. Those who have worked in the Pearl River Delta for years maintain a “food exchange” with relatives back in their hometowns. They often say that the meat and vegetables bought in the city aren’t as tasty as those from home, and that cooking for themselves is healthier than eating out. They care deeply about the act of eating; for them, a proper meal allows them to shed the shell of being mere “labour power” and return to the life of a concrete human being. I am curious: where does their food come from? How do they handle it? What is their true concern regarding food? Is the existing system of food production and consumption friendly to them? Is it possible for them to have a voice in the discourse on food? What inspiration can their food experiences bring to others? By drawing closer to their tables, we can see how migrant workers truly eat beyond the confines of their labour.

“Facing the Degradation of Staple Ingredients: What is the Chinese Catering Industry Doing?”

Introduction: Due to the influence of industrialisation and urbanisation, the ingredients on contemporary Chinese dining tables are undergoing a massive transformation. The quality of staples such as pork and vegetables is declining, and small-scale farmers are being squeezed out of the production chain; meanwhile, niche regional ingredients are being rediscovered and transported to tables across the country. My exploration will take the perspective of the restaurant: how do Chinese restaurants perceive these changes in ingredients? Can they initiate change amidst this upheaval? What factors influence a restaurant’s perception of ingredients? Is it possible for Chinese restaurants to support sustainability and fairness in agricultural production?

The first article will take the form of a survey and general review, exploring whether global catering trends such as “Farm to Table”, “Slow Food”, sustainability, and “localism” can be implemented in the Chinese context, and what ingredient-related problems Chinese restaurateurs face and how they are acting. The second article will provide an in-depth follow-up on two or three cases of contemporary or self-built farms that collaborate with small farmers to optimise staple ingredients. I hope to awaken a deep concern for ingredient quality among my peers in the catering industry and ensure that those already taking action do not feel alone.

Environment and Food: A Changing China

“Yesterday’s Chicken”

Creator: Zhou Pinglang

Introduction: The chicken is now the most numerous animal on Earth, with a population exceeding 24 billion. From their domestication as poultry to genetic improvement and subsequent industrial farming, human influence on the chicken has been colossal. Consequently, the chicken’s reciprocal impact on humans—from antibiotic-resistant bacteria and hormones to avian flu—has multiplied. In factories, on assembly lines, in laboratories, in restaurants, fridges, and bins, the chicken leaves its mark everywhere. Some scholars have even suggested that the chicken records how we have changed the world and will become the hallmark of the Anthropocene. This work enters through the chicken farming industry to explore what kind of creature this most common of domestic birds has become, and where it is headed.

“The Breath of Poyang Lake”

Introduction: For thousands of years, the Chinese people have sought to coexist in harmony with nature, despite harsh realities. In the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, several large lakes were reclaimed for farmland following a population surge after the founding of the People’s Republic, only to be returned to the lake after several major floods in the 1990s. At Poyang Lake, amidst the ebb and flow of farmland and lake water, farmers continue to calibrate the relationship between rice, climate, and humanity. Over the past 30 years, more than half of the world’s large lakes have trended toward drying up, a phenomenon also occurring in China. China’s largest freshwater lake, Poyang Lake, has recently become famous for its “grassland” appearance during the dry season. The Poyang Lake basin is a vital grain-producing region for China, with a complex ecosystem of species. Changes in agriculture around Poyang Lake serve as a window through which to observe meteorological shifts and urbanisation.

Extinction and Transformation:

The Dilemmas of Old Markets and New Retail

《The Survival Guide to Guangzhou’s Meat and Vegetable Markets: Breaking Through in the Age of E-commerce Dominance》

Creators: Xiao Wen, Dong Yifu, Xiao Ranran

Project Description: This in-depth report, *The Survival Guide to Guangzhou’s Meat and Vegetable Markets: Breaking Through in the Age of E-commerce Dominance*, explores the current state of Guangzhou’s meat and vegetable markets under the pressure of e-commerce. It analyses the challenges and opportunities they face and demonstrates how these markets are finding ways to break through in an era dominated by online retail. Through field research in Guangzhou’s markets and interviews with operators, consumers, and industry experts, this report aims to provide readers with a comprehensive and profound perspective on the plight, resilience, and innovative spirit of traditional business models in modern society.

《What Use is Official Endorsement? Playing “House” with E-commerce》

Project Description: How do official middlemen for agricultural products operate? A zero budget in the marketing department is fine; low revenue is no problem—its mere existence is its justification. When local governments talk about helping farmers through new sales formats, what are they actually talking about? Does the help provided through the exercise of power ever truly reach the ground? The government, the intermediary sales companies, and the farmers—every link in this chain seems to be playing a game of “house”. As an intruder within this system, I want to record this absurdity. When an individual is powerless to change anything, they can at least preserve a truth, even if it must remain an anonymous one.

Regional Traditions:

The Connection Between Food and Emotion

《Fermenting China: The Wonders of Yunnan and Guizhou》

Creators: Ma Junli, Liu Xinzheng

Project Description: The *Fermenting China* book series takes a geographical approach to fermentation, starting with the origins of traditional Chinese fermented foods. It explores the diversity of traditional fermented foods across different regions and the fermentation cultures behind them, prompting us to rethink the relationship between food, land, and nature in the present day. This first volume focuses on the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, where unique geographical and historical conditions have fostered a wealth of traditional fermented food resources and preserved numerous ancestral techniques. Through extensive field research, the authors uncover and systematise the stories of the people, the techniques, the history, and the heritage, sketching a contemporary picture of the fermentation culture in the Yunnan-Guizhou region. We hope this book will help more people correctly understand fermentation, appreciate China’s rich and diverse fermentation culture, and inspire them to engage in their own fermentation practices to experience the charm of fermented foods.

《Seeking an Alternative Life in the Italian Mountains》

Project Description: As I approached thirty, I went to the foothills of the Italian Alps to study gastronomy. I spent my time chatting with people at dinner tables, in vegetable gardens and in workshops; for me, this interaction and cultural exchange were vital experiences that shaped my identity. Without the convenience of food delivery, my eating habits actually became more effortless. Despite the language barrier, I found sincere friendships. This is because food connects us to the land, to nature, and to different cultures. Mountains cover 70% of Italy, and many young people are returning to wildernesses that have been abandoned for years to farm, cook, and brew wine. To me, this is not some pastoral idyll, but a difficult yet rewarding journey of self-discovery. It has nothing to do with a curated sense of “ease” or the allure of the wild; rather, it is about thinking deeply about the food we live with every day and considering our own way of life. That is a life worth living.

《Crossing Mountains with Food: Local Food Exchange and Emotional Interaction at the Yao-Hakka Border in Northern Guangdong》

Project Description: In northern Guangdong, beyond the Cantonese and Hakka villages, lie the settlements of the Guoshan Yao, a branch of the Yao people. These multi-ethnic villages survive by the grace of the mountains, maintaining a discreet relationship with the Nanling Mountains and the waterways of the Pearl River Delta. For generations, the Yao people migrated across mountains due to poor soil, natural disasters, and food shortages. Since the 1990s, they have stopped seeking new peaks and have instead relocated to nearby towns following government policy. In this new era of migration, how do the Yao people and their food “cross the mountains” together, and how are they drawn into urbanisation and the market economy? How do the Hakka and other indigenous people in the same area respond? How are the hidden emotions of migration released or comforted through food? Continuing the line of inquiry into “how people live deep in the Yao Mountains”, we use the Yao-Hakka market in Ruyuan County, Shaoguan City, as a new starting point to meet local smallholders, return to the Yao villages, and tell the emotional stories of the people and the food rooted in the fields.

A project jointly supported by Foodthink and the Farmer Seed Network

《Indigenous Wisdom: Heirloom Rice Cultivation and Climate Change Adaptation》

Project Description: Our ancestors travelled across mountains and rivers to reach the Ailao Mountains, where they carved out terraced fields. Some describe this as “sculpting the mountains”, but in truth, we coexist with nature, shaping each other—we turn the mountains into wetlands, while the temperaments of nature shape our culture. What should be planted in which season? Which crops best suit our ecology? How should we manage water given the uneven distribution of resources in the mountains? We formed various cultural rules based on the inclinations of nature; this ancestral wisdom, grown from our own land, may now help us cope with the increasing frequency of extreme weather. Heirloom rice is a perfect example of this. We aim to use short videos to present the wisdom of our ancestors and the changes—and even crises—we face. Video is a wonderful tool for recording, for one day many things may vanish; short videos are an excellent platform for communication, and we hope to share our culture in a way that resonates with the general public.

《Seeds of Innovation: Reform, Opening-up, and the Evolution of Rural Wheat Varieties》

Project Description: The Green Revolution brought immense changes to agriculture, particularly for wheat, the staple grain of Northern China. In the past, farmers rarely changed their wheat varieties, whereas today, most change them almost every year. My in-depth report will explore how the historical upheaval of Reform and Opening-up is closely linked to the changing varieties of wheat in the countryside. When we focus our perspective on the crop itself, how do we re-understand this historical transition? Through my writing, I hope to encourage more people to think about the influence of natural factors—such as plants, climate, and soil—on human society and culture. At the same time, I hope to stimulate further reflection on varietal diversity in modern agriculture and make more people aware of the key role that farmers’ local knowledge plays in promoting sustainable and ecological agriculture.

《Xuwen Pineapple Farmers and the Plight of “Black-nail” Disease》

Project Description: This work uses the sporadic yet severe outbreaks of ‘Black-nail’ disease (small-fruit brown rot) among Xuwen pineapples over recent years as a starting point. It records the impact of the disease on local farmers across two dimensions: cultivation (variety selection, promotion of agricultural techniques, climate adaptation behaviours, etc.) and sales (the fresh fruit market, the processing sub-industry for “diseased fruit”, etc.). By consulting agricultural technical archives and visiting experts, and drawing on the direct experience of the brief and limited pineapple season in the Yangtze River Delta this year, the piece tells the story of how farmers in the growing regions adapt, while communicating the hardships of pineapple production to distant consumers.

We would like to extend our gratitude once again to the judges, co-creation partners, and media partners of the 2024 Foodthink Lianhe Creation Plan.

– Judges of the Lianhe Creation Plan-

Li Changping

Scholar on the “Three Rural Issues” (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers), founder of the China Rural Reconstruction Institute, and Yunshan Distinguished Scholar at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.

He has served as a township party secretary on four occasions and spent 17 years working at the grassroots level. In 2000, he wrote to Premier Zhu Rongji, stating that “farmers are truly suffering, the countryside is truly poor, and agriculture is truly in danger”, drawing central government attention to the Three Rural Issues and earning him the title of *Southern Weekly*’s Person of the Year 2000.

In 2011, he founded the China Rural Reconstruction Institute, assembling the first professional team dedicated to rural construction and implementing a rural revitalisation model with broader applicability and promotional value.

He is the author of *I Told the Truth to the Premier*, *I Told the Truth to the People*, *The Great Climate*, and *Telling the Truth to the Premier Once Again*.

Lv Zhi

Professor at the School of Life Sciences, Peking University; Executive Director of the Center for Nature Conservation and Social Development, Peking University; Vice President of the China Association for Women Science and Technology; founder of the Shan Shui Conservation Center; and advisory committee member for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.

Beyond her long-term research in conservation biology, Professor Lv Zhi has engaged in extensive practical work and reflection on the relationship between agriculture and nature, as well as sustainable development.

Fang Kecheng

Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and founder of the “Journalism Lab”.

His research interests include digital media, journalism, and political communication. He holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA and MA in Journalism from Peking University. Before entering academia, he worked as a reporter for *Southern Weekly*.

As the founder of the “Journalism Lab”, he is committed to working with partners to shape a better information environment and support the production of diverse, high-quality content, including work that intersects with the agri-food sector and the public interest.

Liu Juan

Associate Professor and doctoral supervisor at the College of Humanities and Development, China Agricultural University, and Associate Editor of *World Development*.

Her primary research areas include environmental sociology and political ecology, international development and agricultural policy change, and rural development and revitalisation. In recent years, Liu Juan has published a series of works on climate and environmental justice, agri-food systems, and farmer perspectives in rural revitalisation. Her papers on global environmental justice are consistently highly cited, and her co-authored work *Rural Revitalisation from a Farmer’s Perspective* has had a broad social and policy impact. She was named an Elsevier “Highly Cited Chinese Researcher” in 2023.

Zhong Shuru

Associate Professor at the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University, and holds a PhD in Anthropology from Texas A&M University.

She has long focused on the culture of wet markets and sustainable food systems, advocating for healthy eating and the green, sustainable development of agri-food systems. Since 2016, she has conducted in-depth field research in over 200 wet markets and ecological farms across China. She has published over twenty papers in high-level national and international journals. Her research has been featured in media outlets such as Foodthink, Yixi, *China Daily*, and *Southern Weekly*, garnering over a million views and sparking significant public discussion. Her forthcoming books include *China’s Wet Markets* and *Sustainable Food Consumption in China: Changing Foodscapes, Values, and Practices*.