Part Two of My Reflection Series on Rural China: Navigating the Clash Between Ambition and Meaning in the Rural-Urban Divide, and the Tension Between Tradition and Modernity
Love the heart in this one. Reminds me of the book by The Last Days of Old Beijing Meyer. Only suggestion is to add some captions to the photos so easier to identity.
Thanks for reading and also for the feedback. I’m not a fan of how substack formats images, but I agree it’s probably better to include captions… Will do in future. Cheers!
Hi Nathan, you don't know me but I share much of your views and experiences as in this post. I come from a big city - Milan - I lived in a much bigger city for 11 year - Beijing - and since late 2022 I'm back in Italy, but in the countryside, which is something I had never experienced before (Tuscany).
Why? Surely a bit by chance (my wife found a job in a wine farm), a bit because after having lived in a Chinese megalopolis any other city doesn't seem like a "city" enough: I can't even stand Italian "art cities", Florence is 30 kilometers away from me and I never go there.
So, the point is: I was born and lived as a citizen, now I want to have a totally different experience. Of course, Chianti is not deep China, but the underlying problem, everywhere, is that in urban ideology - or urban prejudice - the countryside is a non-place: an empty, residual space of poverty, where at most there are resources to exploit (extractive capitalism). And instead it is not like that. It is a key territory: that is where food comes from, that is where the climate issue is largely played out. I believe that Chinese history over the last 40 years has been imbued with this urban prejudice: the countryside is seen essentially as a place of poverty (anti-poverty struggle that allegedly ended up in 2020 was basically a "rise the countryside" campaign). But, as you say, we must not judge. In the Chinese farmers I have known, I see in part my grandparents who pushed for their children to find fortune in the city. My parents were the first generation to move to the city: born in the countryside, died in the city. And now, their son is returning to the countryside, but with a different approach, with more awareness. In China, there are already similar phenomena: young people who return to the countryside. A minority, of course, because the general trend, all over the world, is urbanization. However, I find some reason to hope that in the future the relationship between city and countryside can find a balance.
I really appreciate you sharing your perspective here. The move from Milan to Beijing, and then to Tuscany, brings such a unique angle—have you written about that transition specifically? If so, I’d love to read it (I can’t read Italian, but I’m happy to translate). Ultimately, I think it all comes back to the same central point you made: there’s this strange misconception that the countryside is somehow irrelevant, or just a place for nostalgia and poverty, when in reality, it’s at the heart of everything.
Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I feel that in Italy, there’s probably an even closer parallel to the Chinese experience you mention, where the countryside still has a connection to working-class roots, and where the older generations pushed their children to the city to find success—maybe it’s a more recent memory for Italians? Here in the UK, though, the countryside is a different story. It’s long been the preserve of the elites, so you’d have to go back a long way to find any true resemblance to that more grounded, authentic connection to the land. The countryside here feels more like a space for preserving wealth than sustaining it.
Still, I hope that the relationship between urban and rural can be redefined. I think more people will come to recognise that balance can be found, but what will be left by that time is another story.
A little explanation: when I came to the countryside, I started to frequent Mondeggi Bene Comune - Fattoria Senza Padroni, a group that occupied 170 hectares of land abandoned by the metropolitan city of Florence in 2014 and that has existed since then, applying the principles of agroecology to regenerate the entire area. So, thanks to this collective experience, my return took on a political meaning just as I felt I was doing politics by reporting on China as a journalist.
The difference between the UK and Italy is very interesting, I have to think about it. Let's keep in touch, in the meantime, please recommend me something to read about this "upper class" structure of the British countryside
Thanks for sharing that—I'll take some time to read it. The Comune you mention sounds especially intriguing. This ties into my thoughts on the stark difference between rural Britain and Italy—land being 'occupied' for common use here seems almost unimaginable and would probably be met with forced eviction, though travelling communities do sometimes manage it on state-owned land. On that note, there’s one book that really stands out on the subject: 'Who Owns England?' by Guy Shrubsole. It’s an eye-opener. Even for Brits who have some understanding of rural land ownership, this book sparks a deep anger when they realise just how thoroughly we’ve been duped by the elites over the centuries:
I wrote this some time ago: "the Chinese cultural tradition, if it is to respond to criticism, demands an immersion into its ways, or, in other words, it demands a compliance with its alleged centrality."
Perhaps that's all we can aspire to do, immerse ourselves in it, just as you've done.
Thanks for the kind words! I think that’s exactly what I’m trying to convey here—you can only truly understand a place, or even a philosophy, when you’re willing to immerse yourself in it on its own terms. That said, there’s always a balance between retaining your own sense of self while engaging with something ‘other’.
Beautiful. Nice of the universe to make us all so differently unique. I feel at home in the city, having come from "the countryside" myself. You've ended up in a good place, knowing everyone has to earn their own experience, make their own mistakes, earn their own lessons, and nothing should last forever. Wuwei.
When you spoke of coming from a life of warmth, comfort, adventure, and longing for warm simplicity, I was immediately transported back to my days living in rural Indonesia. Living and working there with a family carried an unspoken longing from each other for what the other had.
Now back in Australia, those days were easily rated some of the best of my life.
All the feelings sat way deeper than romantic notions. It was as you said Nathan, a way to live and breathe. They didn't intend to change me, and I learned not to try and change them, and yet, I am irreparably changed. As are they.
Love the heart in this one. Reminds me of the book by The Last Days of Old Beijing Meyer. Only suggestion is to add some captions to the photos so easier to identity.
Thanks for reading and also for the feedback. I’m not a fan of how substack formats images, but I agree it’s probably better to include captions… Will do in future. Cheers!
Ya the formatting options on substack in general have been a little disappointing.
Hi Nathan, you don't know me but I share much of your views and experiences as in this post. I come from a big city - Milan - I lived in a much bigger city for 11 year - Beijing - and since late 2022 I'm back in Italy, but in the countryside, which is something I had never experienced before (Tuscany).
Why? Surely a bit by chance (my wife found a job in a wine farm), a bit because after having lived in a Chinese megalopolis any other city doesn't seem like a "city" enough: I can't even stand Italian "art cities", Florence is 30 kilometers away from me and I never go there.
So, the point is: I was born and lived as a citizen, now I want to have a totally different experience. Of course, Chianti is not deep China, but the underlying problem, everywhere, is that in urban ideology - or urban prejudice - the countryside is a non-place: an empty, residual space of poverty, where at most there are resources to exploit (extractive capitalism). And instead it is not like that. It is a key territory: that is where food comes from, that is where the climate issue is largely played out. I believe that Chinese history over the last 40 years has been imbued with this urban prejudice: the countryside is seen essentially as a place of poverty (anti-poverty struggle that allegedly ended up in 2020 was basically a "rise the countryside" campaign). But, as you say, we must not judge. In the Chinese farmers I have known, I see in part my grandparents who pushed for their children to find fortune in the city. My parents were the first generation to move to the city: born in the countryside, died in the city. And now, their son is returning to the countryside, but with a different approach, with more awareness. In China, there are already similar phenomena: young people who return to the countryside. A minority, of course, because the general trend, all over the world, is urbanization. However, I find some reason to hope that in the future the relationship between city and countryside can find a balance.
Hey Gab,
I really appreciate you sharing your perspective here. The move from Milan to Beijing, and then to Tuscany, brings such a unique angle—have you written about that transition specifically? If so, I’d love to read it (I can’t read Italian, but I’m happy to translate). Ultimately, I think it all comes back to the same central point you made: there’s this strange misconception that the countryside is somehow irrelevant, or just a place for nostalgia and poverty, when in reality, it’s at the heart of everything.
Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I feel that in Italy, there’s probably an even closer parallel to the Chinese experience you mention, where the countryside still has a connection to working-class roots, and where the older generations pushed their children to the city to find success—maybe it’s a more recent memory for Italians? Here in the UK, though, the countryside is a different story. It’s long been the preserve of the elites, so you’d have to go back a long way to find any true resemblance to that more grounded, authentic connection to the land. The countryside here feels more like a space for preserving wealth than sustaining it.
Still, I hope that the relationship between urban and rural can be redefined. I think more people will come to recognise that balance can be found, but what will be left by that time is another story.
I wrote something here: https://effimera.org/c-come-citta-campagna-compagni-di-gabriele-battaglia/
A little explanation: when I came to the countryside, I started to frequent Mondeggi Bene Comune - Fattoria Senza Padroni, a group that occupied 170 hectares of land abandoned by the metropolitan city of Florence in 2014 and that has existed since then, applying the principles of agroecology to regenerate the entire area. So, thanks to this collective experience, my return took on a political meaning just as I felt I was doing politics by reporting on China as a journalist.
The difference between the UK and Italy is very interesting, I have to think about it. Let's keep in touch, in the meantime, please recommend me something to read about this "upper class" structure of the British countryside
Thanks for sharing that—I'll take some time to read it. The Comune you mention sounds especially intriguing. This ties into my thoughts on the stark difference between rural Britain and Italy—land being 'occupied' for common use here seems almost unimaginable and would probably be met with forced eviction, though travelling communities do sometimes manage it on state-owned land. On that note, there’s one book that really stands out on the subject: 'Who Owns England?' by Guy Shrubsole. It’s an eye-opener. Even for Brits who have some understanding of rural land ownership, this book sparks a deep anger when they realise just how thoroughly we’ve been duped by the elites over the centuries:
https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/who-owns-england-how-we-lost-our-land-and-how-to-take-it-back-guy-shrubsole?variant=32600538906702
Amazing, beautiful journey! Thanks for sharing!
I wrote this some time ago: "the Chinese cultural tradition, if it is to respond to criticism, demands an immersion into its ways, or, in other words, it demands a compliance with its alleged centrality."
Perhaps that's all we can aspire to do, immerse ourselves in it, just as you've done.
https://eme1998.substack.com/p/the-notion-of-centrality
Thanks for the kind words! I think that’s exactly what I’m trying to convey here—you can only truly understand a place, or even a philosophy, when you’re willing to immerse yourself in it on its own terms. That said, there’s always a balance between retaining your own sense of self while engaging with something ‘other’.
I guess that's what you mean by: "a quiet acceptance of my own place in it all."
Don't make it too quiet though! :-)
Beautiful. Nice of the universe to make us all so differently unique. I feel at home in the city, having come from "the countryside" myself. You've ended up in a good place, knowing everyone has to earn their own experience, make their own mistakes, earn their own lessons, and nothing should last forever. Wuwei.
Thanks, Paul. Wise words indeed!
When you spoke of coming from a life of warmth, comfort, adventure, and longing for warm simplicity, I was immediately transported back to my days living in rural Indonesia. Living and working there with a family carried an unspoken longing from each other for what the other had.
Now back in Australia, those days were easily rated some of the best of my life.
All the feelings sat way deeper than romantic notions. It was as you said Nathan, a way to live and breathe. They didn't intend to change me, and I learned not to try and change them, and yet, I am irreparably changed. As are they.
That’s it! The kind of thing that makes home feel like it’s spread out in pieces across the world.