Trading Teaching for Farm Life: Two Young Teachers Explore Simple Living | Food Talk Vol. 40

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In this episode of “Food Talk”, host Xiao Jing and Mei Ying from Foodthink interview two young people who have just finished their internships – An Tian and San Qi. Once both young teachers working in nature education, they moved to Yinline Village in Guangdong to follow their agricultural dreams. Here, they found not just an ecological farm, but a small community growing around it.

Over the past six months, they’ve worked alongside local elders on the farm, helping with everything from cultivation and event planning to taking over the farm’s café. This setting, with its distinct ecosystem and community spirit, has also given them the chance to keep exploring nature education.

More importantly, the experience has given them the confidence to return to rural life and forge their own path. Their plan to return home, start their own farm, and carve out a personal living space is steadily becoming a reality. Though returning to the countryside presents many challenges, the choice of young people to embrace rural life and nature always inspires hope. Click the link to listen to their story.

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An Tian

Manager of Zaie Living Farm and a new-generation rural farmer. He hopes to build a new life with his own hands, with plans to construct rammed-earth houses and ecological toilets on the farm, all while putting permaculture into practice.

 

 

 

 

San Qi

A maker with a passion for nature and everyday life. Guided by instinct, they love to reflect, document, and explore—both themselves and the wider world.

 

 

 

 

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Mei Ying

Foodthink programme officer with Yunnan as her happy home base.

 

 

 

 

Xiao Jing

Food Talk host. Keen to visit Yinline Farm for a seasonal signature drink.

 

 

 

 

T/I/M/E/L/I/N/E

00:05 An Tian and San Qi’s backgrounds in nature education and career transitions

03:05 Why they chose Yinlin Farm, and anecdotes from their road trip before joining

08:00 An overview of Yinlin Farm and their daily routines

09:34 The farm’s main crops and the challenges of hands-on farming

17:21 A lychee exhibition minus the lychees, and a display of oddly shaped potatoes: how to find a sense of whimsy in farm life

22:12 Working alongside local farmers and picking up agricultural skills

28:09 Beyond the fields: event planning and exploring nature education

36:18 Taking over the farm café and crafting seasonal specials

44:22 Should organic farms limit their yields? A look at Yinlin Farm’s business model

56:21 Reflections on village life and inspiration for future plans

Drone shot overlooking Yinlin Farm.
Hand-pollination during daily field rounds.
Tending to a small plot they cultivated themselves.
Yinlin Farm manager Guo Rui shooing the geese.
Morning lesson with the planting team lead on how to sow and manage cucumbers.
Learning to operate farm machinery.
Preparing for rice transplanting.
Harvesting potatoes was one of the most memorable farming tasks for Sanqi during his time on the farm: “If digging up 10 kg of potatoes is a pleasant surprise, and 100 kg is a pleasure, then digging 1,000 kg in a single day is an outright nightmare.”
Even amidst hard graft, moments of joy can be found, such as this heart-shaped potato.
Gathering all the peculiar specimens, An Tian and Sanqi hosted a small “Misshapen Potato Exhibition” on the farm.
Eighteen (right), the dog adopted by An Tian and Sanqi, enjoying his days on the farm.
An Tian, Sanqi and Eighteen.
A group photograph taken before An Tian and Sanqi departed Yinlin Farm, with the treehouse they built alongside the children visible in the background.

Further Reading

To follow An Tian and San Qi’s own farm, Zaiye Living Farm, please read their newly published first article: Journey Home | Exploring Rural Life After Two Young Teachers Left Their Posts

Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme

Launched by Foodthink in 2021, the Lianhe Plan’s ‘Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme’ is designed to support young people keen on pursuing ecological agriculture, as well as established eco-farms. It enables participants to gain practical farming knowledge and skills through hands-on experience, while preserving and passing on the expertise of seasoned farmers. The initiative also supplies farms with highly skilled personnel, breathing new life into rural communities.

To date, three recruitment cycles have been completed, supporting over 60 participants across more than ten eco-farms nationwide for placements ranging from three months to a year.

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Photography: An Tian, San Qi

Editor: Wang Hao

Podcast Production Team

Music: Ba Nong

Coordination: Mei Ying

Production: Xiao Jing

Podcast Cover Art: Wan Lin

Contact Email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

 

Published by Foodthink