Futuristic village heralds new life for rural residents

More than fields

One afternoon, Xu showed a group of visitors around the idyllic fields. Waterfowls skimmed over paddy fields in the drizzle, a typical scene during the rainy season in China's more-southerly regions.

The cement roads that cut across the fields were lined on both sides by landscaped flower installations.

Xu noted that the fields are about more than just food production as they also serve as a park for local people to take after-supper walks, as well as an outdoor classroom in which grade school students can conduct field studies.

"With more such spaces for leisure even the relationships of once-quarreling couples are improving," he said as a joke.

Hu Hongmei decided to show a class of fifth graders around the paddy fields after she heard that drones would be deployed to spray fertilizer that day. Several children used drawing boards to sketch the scene.

"My students are intrigued by the drone," said Hu, who is president of a nearby primary school.

"Many students are under immense academic pressure, and a growing number are experiencing mental health issues such as depression. Such outings have many psychological benefits."

She said the school authorities often organize such trips, because they want to make full use of the village's resources. For example, the school organized a marathon race around the fields last year.