In China, if you want to truly get to know a place, there is nothing quite like sitting down to a local communal banquet. It matters little whether you are a local or from far away, a near or distant relation, a familiar face or a complete stranger. The…
Foodthink says Another 618 mid-year shopping festival is upon us. Open the homepage of any major e-commerce platform, and you will inevitably be greeted by slogans such as “platform subsidy programmes”, “time-limited threshold discounts”, and “flash-sale prices”, all designed to coax you into placing an order immediately. Some might…
Foodthink says At a Technology Courtyard run by China Agricultural University in Quzhou County, the daily routine of Xianzi, a postgraduate student born in the 2000s, bears little resemblance to clean lab benches, precision instruments, and reagent bottles. Instead, her days are spent amidst the scent of fermenting piles,…
Foodthink says Is there a food-related item you have used for years that continues to be part of your daily life? Recently, Foodthink invited readers to share their takes on “long-termism in the kitchen”. When an object is passed down through generations, it is no longer just a…
At eight o’clock on the morning of 19 April, I stood on the main street of Lihu Yao Ethnic Township in Nan’an County, Guangxi, feeling like a piece of scrap. I had travelled from the county town to Lihu entirely on my own to visit the market. The…
The award-winning documentary *Whose Table, Whose Pasture?* will be screened at the Department of Sociology, Zhejiang University this Friday, 12 June 2026. Following the trail of imported beef and mutton alongside local yak and Tibetan sheep, the film’s director began in Xining’s wholesale and retail markets before heading to…
1 The one who pressed the piano pedal has gone first. On 21 May 2026, Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, Italian journalist and writer, passed away. ◉ The Slow Food movement advocates for food that combines excellent flavour with environmentally friendly production…
This summer, Foodthink is looking for a few interns and part-time collaborators to work alongside us. If you’re already keeping an eye on food, agriculture, environmental and rural issues, following developments in the food and agriculture sector, enjoy reading research, or are keen on content creation and uncovering…
1 A Braised Goose Worth 100,000 Yuan This is a Qiaopi dated 12 July 1946, sent from Seremban, Malaysia, to Huamei Township, Chao’an, Guangdong, over 4,000 kilometres away. It is now held in the collection at the Qinghui Pavilion of the Caitang Qiaopi Museum in Chao’an…
Where do our daily meals come from? Some race against the clock in wind and rain to deliver takeaways; Some safeguard a single rice seed in mountain terraces; Some have tended herds across the grasslands for generations yet feel powerless as livestock prices continue to fall; Others harness…
