Near San Yuan Bridge in Beijing sits an unusual community greengrocer. Every fruit and vegetable arrives directly from local ecological smallholder farmers. Each item is individually identifiable, grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilisers, and adheres to rigorous production standards. The shop, named Jishi, is run by the Beijing Organic Farmers…
Since its establishment in August 2017, Foodthink has chronicled the stories of dozens of small-scale ecological farmers across the country. Standing apart from conventional agriculture, they have navigated numerous setbacks and learned through costly experience. Yet, after years of dedication, they have amassed a wealth of practical expertise in production…
Over a year ago, the entire Foodthink team “took over” a community produce shop run by the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market. For a single day, we handled every aspect of the shop’s operations, delivered impressive sales figures, won our “wager,” and successfully completed the first ever “Occupy the Shop” mission!…
Foodthink Author Kouzi Farmer, avid long-distance walker, and village liquor brewer. Full-time foodie, part-time farmer, amateur writer. Some will surely glance at the title and immediately protest: isn’t the saying that you ‘gain a few pounds over the New Year’? How could you possibly lose weight and…
A Note from Foodthink With the Spring Festival drawing near, who wouldn’t want to save time and effort when putting together a grand feast for the New Year’s Eve dinner? Riding this wave of convenience, an array of pre-prepared meals have once again topped search trends across online shopping platforms.…
Foodthink Says In the final episode of the recently acclaimed drama Blossoms Shanghai, protagonist Bao Zong quotes a famous line from Gone with the Wind — “Only land remains eternal” — before retiring to the fields of Chuansha on Shanghai’s outskirts. Had his plot not been sold to Disney or…
Longtime Foodthink readers will likely already know the name ‘Grandma Kouzi’. Since 2021, this woman nearing sixty has chosen to relocate to ‘Evil Valley’ in Fujian, building her own home, tending the crops herself, carving out a sanctuary from barren land, and exploring a self-sufficient way of life. In this…
“Save our rice!” “IRRI, get out!” In October 2023, these furious chants echoed across several Filipino farmer protest rallies. The demonstrations took direct aim at the Sixth International Rice Congress, hosted by the International Rice Research Institute (hereafter IRRI). Against the backdrop of climate change and the drive to cut…
Foodthink Author Kouzi Endurance walker and farmer, village brewer. Full-time food lover, part-time farmer, amateur writer. Regular readers will likely have noticed by now: I don’t stir-fry. Yes, Evildoers’ Valley doesn’t even own a wok. Admittedly, my one-square-metre kitchen is fully equipped with appliances — a saucepan,…
Grandpa was the fourth child in his family. Born in 1933, he lost his mother in early childhood and his father in his youth, weathering famine and disaster. He was always a farmer, though he also worked at one stage as a cotton carder. In his final years, he dreamed…
