A greenhouse in suburban Beijing Most of China's population are still farmers, though surveys indicate that most people in the countryside would rather do something else. China's booming economy has largely left its farmers behind, although they were the first to benefit from Deng Xiaoping's opening of the economy in the 1970's. In recent years funds intended to pay farmers for their crops were often diverted to invest in hotels, shopping malls, or other investments, while farmers received IOU's. Farmers have been participating as much as possible in the new economy of China by starting village factories and migrating to cities, although migration is strongly controlled. 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.