 Farms
Near Beijing's "Computer Row" |
Page 3 of 3 |
Fate of the Evergreen People's Commune
Following this typical pattern, the Evergreen People's Commune (
) was first transformed into the
Evergreen Township Village (
) in 1985. Families tried farming their land
individually for a few years, but many couldn't make a go of it farming alone. A small
group of about 100 households, formerly part of a production brigade within the
commune, decided to pool the land that had been allotted to their families, totaling
130 mu (about 21 acres). They formed a private corporation called the
Evergreen Township Village General Company (
) in 1988 to farm that land collectively. Gradually,
they also began establishing manufacturing operations on some of their land and today they
also run several small electronics assembly and packaging workshops, taking subcontract
work from the thriving shops on Beijing's "computer row".
| In the last 10 years, the Evergreen Township Village General Company been
so successful that most of the farmers no longer work any of the land themselves. They
hire about 30 young farms hands, girls in the early teens who come from the poorer areas
of Shandong province, where they earn much less doing the same type of work.
Most of the "farmers" now work in their own factories, giving them two sources
of income. |
Teenage girls from Shandong serve as hired hands.
|
| One farmer remains on the land as a supervisor. He is also a shareholder
in the General Company. Trucker-buyers buy directly from his farm so he
doesn't have to bring his produce to a wholesale or retail market. If he has any
small quantities still left, he'll send out a few bike carts to sell the produce at a
downtown Beijing "free market" or just off the back of the bike, depending on
how much there is to sell. |
Author with the farm supervisor. |
Wholesale Markets in Shanghai