In an era of rapid change, wet markets have found themselves in a difficult position for various reasons. Some have inevitably faced closure, while others have been preserved for the convenience they offer to locals. Wenzhou’s Shuangjingtou Wet Market is one such holdout. This naturally raises a question: in…
I went back to my hometown in southern Hebei this past May to see how straw incorporation is actually playing out. When I explained why I was there, the local farmers would first pause, wearing that familiar “what’s there really to talk about?” look. Whether you call it confusion…
My hometown of Liquan, a county in Shaanxi province, is best known for its apples. There was even a saying that “to see China”s apples, look to Shaanxi; to see Shaanxi’s apples, look to Liquan’. In the past, nearly every farming household in the area grew apples, supplementing them…
1 To Farm, First Chop the Straw “The village said they couldn’t handle it! Just chop it into the field!” Zhao Hai (pseudonym) recalled that following last autumn’s harvest, he had told the village officials he hoped for straw removal (off-field processing), which involved hiring…
In the spring of 2024, as a city office worker with absolutely no farming experience, I began tending a plot of land in the Beijing suburbs on and off, tentatively embarking on my agricultural journey. When I told people around me, their reactions generally fell into two camps: some…
As a durian enthusiast, I had long heard that Penang in Malaysia is home to hundreds of different durian varieties. This year, I joined a durian tour group and sampled more than twenty distinct kinds, and while working alongside local farmers, I tasted the day’s randomly fallen durian “blind…
Over the past few years, a growing number of food companies have begun to publicise their emission reduction targets and environmental contributions, and food packaging has increasingly featured marketing terms such as ‘sustainable’, ‘recyclable’, ‘low-carbon’ and ‘climate-friendly’. These claims are designed to persuade consumers that simply purchasing the product…
After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in 2025, I did not rush to secure a stable job. Instead, I spent time meandering in search of my own vision of a good life. Having grown up amidst cramped flats and concrete, I have come to realise that nature can both…
1 Peak Straw Burning Ban Season It was clear to everyone that the crop straw burning ban had suddenly meant business. Set in 2025, Village A is located in the heart of the Dongting Lake basin in Hunan Province. The flat terrain makes it a…
◉ Eating garlic scapes far from home is pure bliss. Photo: Jiang Xiechi “I came across some garlic scapes today!” On an early summer Saturday morning, a friend excitedly showed off their farmers’ market haul. Since moving to the UK last year, we’ve regularly met up at the…
