The Chinese say: rely on the mountains to eat the mountains, rely on the sea to eat the sea. This is not only an adaptation to local conditions, but also a Chinese way of survival that conforms to nature. From ancient times to the present, this farming nation has carefully used every inch of land under its feet, and the activities of obtaining food and extraordinary wisdom are everywhere.

In Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, a mountainous area inhabited by the Dong, Miao and Zhuang nationalities, people here have been eating glutinous rice as a staple food since ancient times, and nearly 100 kinds of primitive glutinous rice are planted in the alpine terraces. Away from the hustle and bustle of modern civilization, the scattered villages are like isolated islands, hidden deep in the mountains.

October is the season for glutinous rice to ripen. Xiayao Village, where the Zhuang people live together, is welcoming a festival specially set up for the rice harvest -- the New Rice Festival. But glutinous rice is not the only harvest of the villagers, there are other secrets hidden in the paddy fields. Carp and ducks can be raised in rice fields at the same time. This ancient system of rice-fish-duck co-production has been listed as a global important agricultural cultural heritage.

Zhangzi Island, an island less than 15 square kilometers in the northern part of the Yellow Sea, is rich because of the products in the sea. Under the blue waves, there is a prosperous group. Invertebrates such as sea cucumbers, abalones, and sea urchins, which are regarded as treasures in the sea by the Chinese, happen to occupy the majority of them. The pristine waters and active currents contribute to their extraordinary qualities.

Three years ago, hundreds of millions of artificially cultivated sea cucumber seedlings were sown in this water area, and their growth trajectory was exactly the same as that of their wild counterparts. This is the cooperation between human beings and nature, and the ideal of plowing the sea, animal husbandry and fishing has been realized in an ecological way. Wang Houxi, a 45-year-old diver, is preparing to enter the water for the last time in his career.

River crab, scientific name Chinese mitten crab. During the breeding season, they migrate in groups from the tributaries and lakes where they live to the mouth of the Yangtze River. Due to changes in the ecological environment, wild Chinese mitten crabs are very rare today. Xiaotai is a generation of artificial breeding. All the water in the pond comes from Taihu Lake. Xiaotai’s food is aquatic plants and small fish and shrimps in the lake. Compared with the same kind that eats feed, it has a longer growth period and a stronger body. In China today, hairy crabs have become one of the most profitable farming projects.

Xinghua Water Town, Jiangsu Province, located at the northern end of the Yangtze River Delta, seems to be a land forgotten by time. At noon in midsummer, Xia Juntai and Wang Yuanfeng rowed the boat into the lake to water a tall vegetable that loves water. The unique land under their feet is called Duotian.

Among all kinds of verdant vegetables, the burly taro is the absolute majority. Duotian, surrounded by water on all sides, can just satisfy the biggest hobby of this species: drinking water. Every day, Lao Xia has to water the taro four times, each time for an hour to ensure the water demand of the taro.

In the most economically active area of ​​China, Xia Juntai, whose ancestral home is in the countryside of Xinghua, may be the last member of his family to work as a farmer. But this does not affect him to enjoy everything here, the natural stacked fields, taro, and his and his wife's home. .

Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the roof of the world. The Himalayas lie in the south, and in the north, the Yarlung Zangbo River flows from the snow-capped mountains to the bottom of the valley in southern Tibet, opening up Shigatse, the richest agricultural area in Tibet.

Outside the village, the highland barley planted by people is about to mature. In the cold polar regions, people need food to supplement life energy. At an altitude above 4,000 meters, natural gifts are not abundant. Among the limited food, barley has become the staple food that people rely on most. The Wangguo Festival is held before the highland barley matures, and is the biggest festival of the year. On the altar, the handprints covered with barley powder are endowed with powerful spiritual power. Highland barley flour was thrown into the air. People believe that the sound of prayer can reach the sky.

Beijing, a bustling international city. There are many high-rise buildings, surrounding the ancient Forbidden City, and also surrounding the old streets and alleys of different temperaments - alleys. Guichun, who lives in a Hutong, has an extraordinary dream: to have her own vegetable garden. Therefore, Guichun took his ideal to the roof.

The seeds are sleeping quietly in the ground. In Beijing in spring, there is no greenery, and the fish pond on the roof still has residual ice from last winter. When summer comes, the roof of Guichun is completely changed. When people in the city flock to the vegetable market and bring home vegetables from afar, Guichun can be like a free farmer, using local materials and being self-sufficient.

In the city, stretches of roofs are like abandoned spaces, lifeless. But the rooftop vegetable garden in Guichun is a cool world. The green roof of less than 100 square meters purifies the air of the city with every leaf. They are a gift from Guichun to the city.

Chinese people from different regions use their own wisdom to use nature moderately and skillfully to obtain simple and delicious food. The only people who can unite their love for the land and the admiration for heaven so closely are farming peoples. A writer described the Chinese people's simple outlook on life in this way: When they bury their heads in the fields and bow their heads to eat, they will never forget to look up at the sky.