Organic production, sustainable farming methods, and ecological farming practices.
Editor’s Note In Chengdu’s Yulin community, a surprise vegetable parcel from farming friend Hu Xuemei brought a little shock—and an unexpected shift—to Xia Lili, the cook at the Little Dining Table. This is the fourth piece in the “One Pot Shitai’s Little Dining Table” series. It will explore Xia Lili’s…
I. Setting out with questions in mind Late in March, I embarked on a three-month internship at Guixinyuan Farm. Partly, this was to test whether I was suited to life as an agricultural worker; partly, I was searching for an ideal model of farming: What kind of relationship ought agriculture…
I. My Story with Fireflies As someone from the north, I had never seen a firefly before the age of fifty; my limited understanding of them stopped at the classical idiom ‘studying by the light of snow and a pouch of fireflies’. It was only when I travelled to Taiwan…
Editor’s Note In the opening piece of the “Master One Pot’s Little Dining Table” series, Xia Lili draws on a handful of personal recollections to explain her philosophy of shared meals and the origins of the project. This time, she brings us straight to the lively heart of the kitchen.…
On 12 April, a week after Grain Rain, eastern Sichuan had seen several consecutive showers, easing a drought that had persisted since the Spring Festival. Rice seedlings in the fields were now nearing transplanting season. That afternoon, senior agronomist Yuan Yong and a colleague travelled from Jianyang City to Zaizi…
I. Who Truly Cares About the Snow Leopard? Pema Tseden’s posthumous film *Snow Leopard*, winner of Best Film at the Tokyo International Film Festival, tells a remarkably straightforward tale: on the high, snow-swept plateau, a herding family loses nine sheep after a snow leopard attacks their livestock pen. This incident…
Editor’s Note In a corner of Yulin, Chengdu, Xia Lili—affectionately nicknamed “Sister Yiguo” by her friends—has launched a new experiment: The Little Dining Table. This is a warm, collaborative dining initiative where neighbours team up as “meal partners” to shop and cook together, establish regular meal times, and enjoy wholesome…
Foodthink Says Now that the Grain Rain solar term has passed, the peak season for this year’s spring tea harvest draws to a close. During the Qingming Festival holiday, Foodthink shared a story about the climate resilience of a natural farming tea garden in Xinyang. We are now publishing the…
Foodthink says Since returning home in 2013 to establish Chengdu’s Liangliang Farm, Tang Liang’s work has been a constant source of inspiration for those concerned with food and farming. In 2018, his The Ledger and Lifestyle of a Family Farm offered a candid answer to the question, “How does one…
Foodthink Says “Tea plucked before Qingming is worth its weight in gold.” Spring teas harvested and processed ahead of the Qingming Festival often command premium prices, representing the most crucial annual yield for many growers. Should extreme weather trigger a shortfall, the notoriously brief harvesting and market window for this…
