In a Chinese village, all the houses are grouped together, surrounded by the fields. Plots are very small, and farming is usually labor intensive. At harvest time you see grain being threshed and dried everywhere, including the basketball court of the university. Along the highways you see grain laid out to dry everywhere. This village is on the outskirts of the city, so the fields are planted in vegetables that can be sold to city dwellers.
Manufacturing is now the backbone of China's economy.
Much of the light industry is staffed by young women who work cheap. Work is labor-intensive, conditions are poor, and pay is low, but it beats life in the countryside. This is a big challenge that the Chinese government is trying to deal with. You can find advertisements for typing services and housekeepers posted on telephone poles in Beijing and other cities.