Food production, farmers, rural society, and ecological farming practices.
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…
Taking a break from a conference in Nanning, we caught up with our old friend Huang Yajun. As a seasoned rural development practitioner, Yajun, born in the 1980s, has witnessed over a decade of shifts in the countryside. From grassroots, community-led explorations to government-driven poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation initiatives,…
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…
I was born in a small mountain village in Hunan where tea was grown. Growing up amongst the tea gardens and surrounding woods gave me a particular fascination with the tea industry. When I was a child, tea production in the village lacked a systematic approach. Every household treated it…
Which documentary once shaped the career choices of our colleagues at Foodthink, prompting us to dedicate ourselves to the food and agriculture sector? Perhaps it was this one: *Food, Inc.* Released in 2009, the documentary pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of the US food industry, placing particular…
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…
Is genetically modified rice truly safe? Why can it not be commercialised without scrutiny? On 18 April, a Philippine court ruled that the commercial promotion of Golden Rice is unconstitutional, once again reflecting society’s cautious stance towards GM staple crops. The court also ordered the Philippine government to revoke the…
