I. More Than a Mere Bystander In July, Beijing is at the height of summer. On this land I am soon to leave, seeds sown in spring are now bearing plump fruit. As I immerse myself in the joy of the harvest, I also come to realise how precious the…
The dream of a lazy foodie is to build a self-sufficient, low-maintenance garden: a sustainable food forest that yields an abundance of produce while demanding minimal labour. Back when I studied permaculture in Taiwan, I was properly introduced to the concept of a “food forest”. I had encountered the term…
Foodthink says *Eating the World: Industrial Britain, Food Systems and World Ecology* was published in 2020 by Chris Ott, a historian at Ohio State University. The book examines the shift in the British diet since 1750 alongside industrialisation: a transition from locally sourced plant-based proteins to the mass consumption of…
The sweltering summer is about to end, but the autumn rains may prove just as chilling. This summer has been far from typical. Extreme rainfall and scorching heatwaves have swept across the country in quick succession. Surface temperatures in Shaanxi peaked at a staggering 72.9°C. Harbin, deep in the northeast,…
Foodthink says *Disappearing Food* is a book that explores the global crisis of food diversity, serving as a vital call to action for the conservation of local germplasm resources and the preservation of cultural heritage. On 9 July, Foodthink and Beiye Books jointly launched the *Disappearing Food* online reading group…
Foodthink’s Take Since early June, a video titled “From a City Besieged by Waste to a Shortage of Trash to Burn: China’s Speed Leaves the West Stunned” has spread rapidly online. The prospect of shovelling unsightly waste into an incinerator to burn it all away, then harnessing the released energy…
I’ve always been drawn to this lyric: “We should have our moments of joy, happiness, and clear skies.” I’ve never quite managed to emulate Lao Lang’s unhesitating plea to “give me your pure, innocent smile.” After navigating periods of heaviness, sorrow, and gloom, one comes to truly understand how essential…
I. A Journey That Began with Bananas Bananas have been one of the plants I’ve encountered most frequently over the past year of travel. From Africa to Brazil, I’ve seen and eaten countless varieties along the way—fried in oil, stewed with tomatoes, pan-fried in butter; as long as an arm,…
I.Leaving it All Behind to Farm On an ordinary morning, walking into the passion fruit fields, I saw vines heavy with golden fruit. The saplings we’d planted at the end of March were already yielding a second flush of blooms, and bees hard at work with pollination hummed steadily around…
Two years ago, I moved to a financial news outlet to cover agriculture full-time. I had hoped it would bring me closer to the land and to food itself, forging a fresh connection between journalism and the realities of daily life. Unlike food writers who dwell on flavour, I reported…