There are two parallel phenomenon that led to this dichotomy:

Many farmers who owned land in Pudong after the break up of the people's communes, gave up farming and began selling their land to foreign investors at US$ 60 - 100 mē. Although a recent government moratorium prohibiting the further conversion of agricultural land to industrial use should slow down the sell-out of the remaining agricultural land, Pudong's prime location close to downtown Shanghai will continue to entice farmers to sell their land.

Truck farms near General Motor's US$ 1.6 billion Buick plant.

Most farmers in Pudong today are not the original owners under the old people's commune system.  They are renters, who moved to the Shanghai area from interior provinces to make a better living from the free market system while original farmer-owners gave up farming to work in factories or to live off their real estate gains.

Renter's shack in Pudong.

The Future of Truck Farms in Pudong?
Today, these renter-farmers in Pudong are a major source of fresh produce at the free markets in downtown Shanghai, only a 30-40 minute bicycle ride away. But as industrial development in Pudong continues, this land will also be sold to foreign developers. It's just a matter of time . . .

Continue on to Markets in the Provinces