Country Roads

Mulberries hang in lush orchards of trees. A movie is screened in the open air of the wheat field. Lotus roots grow from the bottom of the pond. Kids pick seeds from lotuses in the pond. Villagers gather under a big tree， eating and chatting.

These are memories of Liangzhuang， the hometown of Liang Hong， a Chinese scholar. Today， everything is gone， and the lotus pond is nothing but a sinkhole. The farmland has suffered from soil erosion due to years of dredging for sand and brick baking. Villages have seen extensive ruins covered by weeds and shrubs.

Those concerned about the ecology of rural China might be familiar with two books by Liang Hong. One is China at Liangzhuang， which recounts the changes of Liangzhuang in suburban Beijing over the last 40 years and records the decay and desolation of villages in China. The other is Out of Liangzhuang， which follows stories of three generations of migrant workers in China.

Recent statistics show that natural villages in China have decreased from 3.6 million to 2.7 million in ten years. That means every day， about 100 villages disappear， some just like Liangzhuang. Many new houses can be found in these villages， yet they are empty. There are libraries， computers， and cultural centers， but few visitors and users.

Liangzhuang is typical of many villages in northern China， which became lost due to industrial development， commodity economy and urban consumption customs.

Historically， country folks selected for civil service were once social elites in China. It was tradition for high-ranking officials to return to their rural hometowns after retirement to build schools and temples and become involved in village administration. The moral and cultural structure of the village was enhanced by the practice.

Today， however， the chain of such a tradition is broken. Both human and natural resources have run dry. Childhood playmates and relatives can no longer be found there. The spirit deriving from villages is fading away. The term “back to the countryside” seems funny against massive urbanization.

Hoping to make a difference， many people in recent years have conducted experimental reconstruction of rural China. Contrasting “construction of new countryside” launched by the government， these experiments are conducted by people from all walks of life， including scholars， entertainers， environmentalists and those returning to China after overseas studies， as well as numerous farmers and rural organizations at grassroots levels.

Such experiments all focus on caring for the countryside and farmers and rebuilding villages， with the core aim of enhancing the future development of rural China， even though concepts and avenues of rural construction differ with regards to funding， cultural promotion， educational ideas， social governance， and methods of senior care.

At the work conference for China’s urbanization held at the end of 2013， Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that efforts should be made to intensify the country’s urbanization through fusing cities with nature， so that citizens can enjoy the beauty of mountains and rivers and taste the flavor of nostalgia.

Many were inspired by these statements at such a high-level meeting. Native soil nurtures the roots of Chinese traditions. Issues such as the relationship between farmers and land， countryside and modernization， agriculture and market are related to the future of China and the world.

Like many countries which have experienced and are experiencing a return to “native land and countryside，” many in China are pondering the deficiencies of urban civilization and， most importantly， taking action to return to rural life. Moreover， people at all levels， including farmers， are also blazing new trails for rural development in China.