Fixing Farms, Dying Hard, Art District Dominance, and the Bullying Boom

Were all adults now and we know that they dont grow produce in the back of the supermarket， but Chinas agricultural sector faces some very strange problems when it comes to getting your food to plate. To begin with， the growing fashion toward organic food means that consumers are getting wiser to the tricks of the industry， but are there any real organic options available？ Pesticides and pollution arent the only problems with Chinese agriculture， and the countrys been looking overseas for their food security concerns for quite some time. But the biggest problem at home is that history and nature carved the nations farmland into a patchwork that isnt fit for modern mechanization， so whats not getting wasted is never grown at all. With more mouths to feed than anywhere else， Chinas got a long way to go to fix its farms （page 28）.

Next， we look at one aspect of city life thats getting way too expensive： death （page 36）. While the government encourages cremation and simple ceremonies， the people of China want a fancy party， a burial， and a nice view for their remains. The cost of land for a final resting place is just the start when it comes to shuffling off the mortal coil in the Middle Kingdom because funeral companies arent exactly in it for the joy of the job. A bit more regulation， free market options， and professionalism in the industry will hopefully lead to a more affordable rural requiem.

From grave to Feijiacun， we take aim at how art districts are migrating to rural space （page 42）. Lets face it， if you want to get a shot in 798， youre gonna need some start-up cash， but there are options on the edges of Chinas first-tier cities where artists can go to get a leg up. The residents of these traditionally residential areas find theyre getting some very strange neighbors， but with the price of real estate skyrocketing， places in Tongzhou District are going to need to get more used to seeing the occasional hipster.

Lastly， theres the issue of bullying in China （page 48）. What makes bullying such a pressing problem in China is that many dont think theres a problem at all. The evidence， however， has been popping up online， sometimes by the bullies themselves， whether its kids beating kids， teachers abusing students， or students attacking their teachers. Everyones got an answer—blame the schools， blame the parents， blame the kids—but there are real measures that can be taken to make schools a safer place for everyone.

This issue， weve got whatever your taste buds are craving. If youre craving， well， food， check out how to make some dim sum in our Chi Le Ma （page 80） section， or hit up our Made in China （page 24） where we finally look at what is wrong and right with Chinese cakes. For fiction， check out our Dragons Digest （page 10） section where Charlie Brown （in the form of a coffee house） helps two girls in their 30s work through aging， relationships， and just being weird. Our Diaspora （page 54） section will explain why the Chinese are staying with Spain and our Kaleidoscope （page 18） section takes you through the poetic city of Hangzhou under cover of night.

As always， thank you for choosing our magazine， and dont forget to check out our Hangzhou travel book for the upcoming G20， available on our website in August. Thank you so much for joining us， and enjoy the summer while it lasts.