Two summers ago, I graduated with a Master’s in Sociology and joined a leading real estate company to work in agriculture, feeling a mix of anticipation and anxiety. Three seemingly unrelated paths converged in this way; my decision to veer away from the mainstream career trajectory left my family and…
Recently, news that Singapore is introducing grading for sugary drinks and an imminent ban on advertising for milk tea and juices has sparked heated debate in China. In truth, Singapore is not the first nation to intervene in the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages. Over a decade ago, policymakers began introducing…
Over the last forty years, and particularly the last decade, China’s food system has undergone seismic shifts. Many of us have observed and experienced this: traditional wet markets are quietly vanishing from mainstream life, replaced by fresh-food e-commerce and online shopping as the primary sources for urban dwellers; cheap delivery…
In this episode of Food Talk, we are joined by our old friend, Sun Shan. Having previously worked for several non-profit organisations, including the Shan Shui Conservation Center, she now runs her own farm in Canada. Contrary to the idyllic image of spending one’s days in harmony with nature, ecological…
Did you know? According to research published in *The Lancet*, two-thirds of the world’s population suffer from some degree of lactose intolerance, experiencing symptoms such as bloating and diarrhoea after consuming milk. If this is the case, why has milk become such a ubiquitous daily beverage across the globe? When…
I. Dried produce can be sold again The *Administrative Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Quality and Safety of Edible Agricultural Products in Market Sales* (hereinafter referred to as the “Measures”), a matter of great concern to farmers across the country, have finally been released. Compared to the previously…
Letian Bay Farm in Fengxian, Shanghai, is certainly not your conventional eco-farm. When I began my internship here in March, I quickly realised that agriculture here was quite different from what I had imagined: it wasn’t just about farming, but also about leasing land and hosting events. It is truly…
Foodthink says In 1924, Fei Dasheng and the teachers and students of the Jiangsu Provincial Girls’ Sericulture School arrived at Kaixiangong Village in Wujiang County to establish the Silk Improvement Society; nearly 100 years have passed since then. Their goal was to reverse the decline of the silk industry and…
You have almost certainly come across the ‘cocklebur’—small, oval fruits with hook-like spines at the tip. Once mature, they cling to clothing and animals; a single walk through the fields can leave your trouser legs covered in them. Although the native cocklebur has a long history of growth in China,…
During my three-month internship at Xingfuguo Baicaoyuan, the passage of time became a blur. I seem to remember only that the skies were overcast when I arrived, and bright and clear when I departed. I. Finding Baicaoyuan: A New ‘Peach Blossom Spring’ Xingfuguo Baicaoyuan is a farm located in Guigang,…
