Fields of Hope

Many of the new changes affecting Chinas agriculture， rural areas， and farmers have no boilerplate development model to follow or acceptable shortcuts to take. Behind these changes is the profound influence of the path， theory， system， and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics， which have become more apparently worthy of study and exploration.

This work presents a series of narratives describing the transformation and development of Chinas agriculture， rural areas， and farmers. The three volumes are Agriculture in Transition， Rural Areas Developing Apace， and Changing Lives of Farmers， printed in both Chinese and English.

Each volume contains 20 cases with rich pictures （about 100 in each） to vividly show the changes in and the new face of Chinas agriculture， rural areas， and farmers in recent decades， especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC） calling for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee choosing comprehensively deepen reform.

To answer the question of who will feed China raised by the international community more than two decades ago， China responded with convincing data. In 2015， the countrys total grain output reached 621 million tons， indicating that China can feed 22 percent of the worlds population with 7 percent the worlds arable land.

In a report delivered by President Xi Jinping to the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017， the country vowed to lift every resident out of poverty and complete the construction of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020.

Furthermore， to promote development of agriculture， rural areas， and farmers， the report proposed the rural vitalization strategy， emphasizing priority on development of agriculture and rural areas to vigorously accelerate rural vitalization.

Since then， Chinas agriculture has entered a new era as it is marching from improving quantity of grain output to a new stage of pursuing high-quality agricultural development. The development model based on a household land contracting and operating system has been shifting to larger-scale， more diversified operations， and many new agricultural operation entities are emerging.

During recent periods， many farmers migrated to cities and gained residency after succeeding in secondary and tertiary industries. At the same time， many well-trained professional farmers have been emerging in rural areas.

Chinas rural areas have transformed from underdeveloped places falling far behind urban areas into attractive locales characterized by beautiful homes where farmers live decent and comfortable lives thanks to the integrated development of urban and rural areas.

“Huge changes are happening with Chinas agriculture， rural areas， and farmers，” wrote Liu Jian， former Vice Minister of Agriculture and a Counselor of the State Council， in the preface to this book.“There is no boilerplate development model to follow or shortcuts to take. Driving these changes is the profound influence of the path， theory， system， and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics， which has become obviously worthy of study and exploration.”

This set of books tells stories of Chinas agriculture， rural areas， and farmers through vivid and interesting analyses and case studies to help readers around the world better understand the development of Chinas agriculture， rural areas， and farmers in recent decades.

The book Agriculture in Transition explores agricultural transformation stories in different rural areas from perspectives of increasing grain production， adjusting agricultural structure， and guaranteeing food security， among other angles. In-depth interpretation and analysis shines light on the internal logic of agricultural transformation depicted in each story.

Rural Areas Developing Apace features stories about development in rural areas involving promotion of reform and innovation， improved infrastructure， and diversifying agricultural production modes in ways that significantly increased farmersincomes. It includes many emblematic stories tremendously significant in terms of reflecting the changes of the times. It also points to many of the driving forces and development prospects of Chinas rural areas.

Changing Lives of Farmers presents inspiring stories of Chinese farmers of different regions， ages， and educational levels， who have seized the good life through hard work and innovation by riding the wave of the new era. Through detailed analysis， it expounds on the influence of the times and notes the policy background behind each case.

Authors of the series include Fan Dijun and Zhang Zhenghe among other experts and scholars focused on studies of issues related to agriculture， rural areas， and farmers， who have previously published extensively on similar topics. The stories and related interpretations captured in the books are enhanced by the authors many years of research， adding their academic perspective.