What does ‘returning to nature’ really mean for children in China? | Food Talk Vol.13
Having felt cooped up during the pandemic, people are longing to reconnect with nature. On the fringes of our cities, picnicking, camping, and nature education are growing in popularity. In such a rapidly changing world, are ‘the countryside’ and ‘nature’ merely passing fads for today’s Chinese families and children, or a genuine return to simplicity?
During the pandemic, cooking—something that had effectively been ‘outsourced’—returned to the heart of our daily lives. Many children have no idea where the food on their plates comes from, knowing only that it is bought from a shop. Can nature education help children truly understand their food? And what interesting discoveries are made as children experience the process of farming and cooking?
Featured Guests
Ma Lan
Nature name “Liu Lan”, head of the forest kindergarten at Friends of Nature · Gaia Natural School. Since 2014, she has established parent-child, weekend, and experiential forest kindergarten projects. She is a nature experience educator, a Leave No Trace Trainer, and a training lecturer for the National Natural Education Network. Parents say she “has more fun than the children”, while guides describe her as a real joy to be around—though she describes herself as an introvert.
Host
Xiao Jing
A mother of two and a newcomer to the food and farming community, currently exploring the connection between food and biodiversity. After being an adult for far too long, she has made the curious discovery that no matter where they go, children’s favourite things are still playing in the sand and crunching through leaves.
Timeline
01:42 From ‘Malan’ to ‘Willow Basket’ and then ‘Willow Orchid’ – let’s start by choosing a ‘nature name’
07:18 What is nature education: why charge a fee to visit a free park?
07:51 Do children in the city have a natural affinity for ‘nature’? ‘Those who either love or hate insects are in the minority’; nature education is about reaching the majority of children in between
10:33 Is there nature in a megacity like Beijing? Do you really have to drive for two hours to experience nature education? Do children growing up in the city lack a ‘real’ life? What can nature education actually offer a child?
15:32 Taking part in nature education courses means cooking for yourself – but what if the food tastes awful? A child who refuses vegetables at home can actually finish a plate of those they’ve grown themselves
19:53 It’s more than just fragmented ‘fruit-picking’; a year on the farm starts with tilling the soil to experience the ‘full cycle’
24:58 Planting three seeds to honour heaven, earth and humanity; taking only one for myself
32:06 Do the children complain? When children influence and mimic one another in a group, they are better able to let loose—something children in the era of online learning may desperately need.
41:09 Is nature education simply about ‘enduring hardship to appreciate the rewards of learning’?
43:23 Discovering through nature education whether modern humans can actually survive without the internet. Where does our sense of security truly come from?
44:28 Expanding the comfort zone and embracing imperfection
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The Podcast Production Team
Planning and Production: Xiao Jing
Podcast Cover Art: Wan Lin
Music: Ba Nong
Article Editor: Wang Hao
Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn