Modern Farmers in China

After reading a short piece online about the new trend in wedding photos for Chinese couples in their twenties - either wearing Speedos, or nude - you can't help but smile at the cultural shift taking place every day in the world's most populated country. The other 'hot' trend from China recently is dying your dog insane colors. What would Mao make of this? It seems the younger generation is almost turning into a caricature of the most strident excesses of Los Angeles.

But, in more practical terms, China's rural population has always been adrift from what happens in the major cities. Not any more. The Chinese government has been working hard in the last five years to bridge the gap. Along with moving more factories and offices out of city centers, and into the countryside, it's interesting to read a recent piece on BBC Business about how farmers are being connected with new generation mobile phones. A new service called, Nongxintong, started by China Mobile, allows farmers to receive information and news on their mobile phones, out in the fields. And this isn't so they can Twitter their buddies. It's enabling farmers to check stock prices or crucial weather conditions instantaneously. There is also another new service called 'Wokai' that lets farmers seek outside finance for their projects - the BBC reports that 'In two years, Wokai has raised over $370,000 and financed 500 projects - from small pig farms to roadside noodle stands.'

What this also means, is that the huge geographical distances once needed to be travelled in order to fix farming supplies, sell produce, and offload stock, can now be done online and via a mobile phone. It's also interesting to note that Nongxintong has yet to turn a profit, but is rather seen by China Mobile as a long-term venture and 'a social responsibility.' A refreshing, progressive business outlook, I'd say.