What Does ‘Getting Back to Nature’ Really Mean for Chinese Children? | Food Talk Vol. 13

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Those stifled by the pandemic are longing to reconnect with nature. Around urban areas, picnics, camping, and nature education are becoming increasingly popular. Yet, in a world of rapid change, what do “the countryside” and “nature” actually signify for contemporary Chinese families and children? Is this merely a passing trend, or a sincere return to simplicity?

Amid the pandemic, cooking—a task long “outsourced”—has found its way back into daily life. Children often have no idea where the food on their plates comes from, knowing only that it is bought from shops. Can nature education help children truly understand food? What fascinating discoveries emerge when they get hands-on experience growing and preparing it?

This Episode’s Guest

Ma Lan

Nature name: Liulan. Head of the Forest Kindergarten at Friends of Nature · Gaea Nature School. Since 2014, she has established parent–child, weekend and experiential forest kindergarten programmes. She is a nature experience facilitator, a Leave No Trace trainer and a training lecturer for the National Nature Education Network. Parents say she “has even more fun than the children”, guides describe her as a cheerful spark, and she considers herself quite introverted.

Host

Xiao Jing

A newcomer to food and farming education, currently studying food and biodiversity, and mother of two young children. After spending far too long navigating adult life, she’s rather amused to discover that, no matter where you go, children still love nothing more than playing in the sand and stepping on leaves.

In the forest class, parents and children play together. For the children, it is a natural playground; for adults, perhaps a way to rediscover their childhood.
In fact, you don’t necessarily need that many toys; children can play all sorts of imaginative games with stones.
In the farm class, participants experience the full cycle of planting, tending, monitoring, harvesting, and preparing, gaining a sense of the agricultural seasons and landscape, as well as the rhythms of busy and quiet periods on the farm.
Even children as young as 0–3 can enjoy stepping on leaves and building little dens.
In nature, you’ll stumble upon all sorts of wee little bugs…
As long as the rain is light enough for outdoor play, nature exploration activities can still go ahead.
Cooking and dining together is the farm’s most popular activity. With just a little effort, you’ll discover hidden little chefs.
Discovering oneself in nature.

Timestamps

01:42 From “Malan” to “willow basket” to “Liu Lan”: first, let’s give a “nature name”

07:18 What is nature education: why charge fees to visit a free park?

07:51 Do urban children naturally love “nature”? “The extremes – those who absolutely adore or absolutely loathe insects – are the minority.” Nature education chiefly impacts the vast majority in between.

10:33 Is there any nature in Beijing, China’s megacity? Must you drive two hours to experience nature education? Do children raised in the city miss out on a full life? What can nature education truly offer them?

15:32 Nature education courses even require you to cook your own meals – but what if they’re terrible? The child who turns up their nose at vegetables at home will happily polish off every bite of what they’ve grown themselves.

19:53 More than just fragmented “picking” trips: a year on the farm begins with turning the soil, immersing you in the full cycle.

24:58 Plant three seeds to honour heaven, earth, and humanity; I take but one.

32:06 Will the children complain? When a group of kids influence and mirror one another, they find it easier to let loose. This social dynamic may well be what the online-learning generation is missing.

41:09 Is nature education simply about ‘enduring a bit of hardship to savour the sweetness of learning’?

43:23 Through nature education, we explore: can modern people really survive without the internet? And where does our sense of security truly come from?

44:28 Stepping beyond the comfort zone and embracing imperfection

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Podcast Creative Team

Concept and Production: Xiao Jing

Podcast Cover: Wan Lin

Music: Ba Nong

Article Editor: Wang Hao

Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

Published by Foodthink