How does it feel to live in rural China?

住在中国农村是什么样的感受？

以下是Quora网友的评论：

Sophie iao

I have pics taken in my parents house, I am from Hebei province and I had posted a lot pics from my home town in previous posts.

Below map shows the location of Hebei(河北）

我在我父母家拍了一些照片，我来自河北省，我在以前的帖子里发过很多我家乡的照片。

下图为河北的地理位置(河北)

My parents’ house a typical farmers house.

我父母的房子是典型的农村自建房。

I am just showing the genuine life of the countryside and I don’t like people always assume the rural area is very poor, to most people life is okay better than most people think.

The public infrastructures are constantly updating each time I go home, few years ago it was much worse, I think it’s the time for our government start to emphasize develo the rural areas.

我只想展示农村的真实生活，我不喜欢人们总说什么农村很穷之类的话，对大多数人来说，乡下的生活比大多数人想象中都要好。

每次我回乡下都发现公共基础设施不断升级，几年前确实比较糟糕。现在政府应该开始大力开发农村地区了。

And as for Chinese people we all consider life should be getting better and better since we use to it, thanks to our co unist government haha.

对中国人而言，我们都觉得生活应该越过越好，因为我们已经习惯了有奔头，这都多亏了我们的政府，哈哈。

Linka

I think it can be answered from three points, people, environment and life.

我认为可以从三个方面来回答，人、环境和生活。

-People: Compared with people in cities who mainly focus on their own stuff, people in rural China rely hugely on connections with each other. That`s mainly because they are not as busy as people in cities and since they seldom leave the villages which they live, they need those tight connections in case they need help. As results, they can be very zealous whenever you need help, together with they can be very disrespectful to your privacy. Generally speaking, they are all very warm-hearted persons, although once in a while the temperature is too high.

人：城里人大多忙着操心自己的事，而农村人在很大程度上很倚重人情关系。这主要是因为他们不像城市里的人那么忙，很少离开居住的村庄，他们需要这些紧密的人际关系，能在需要的时候找到人帮忙。所以，如果你需要帮助，村民们会非常热心，但相伴而来的弊端是他们不太尊重你的个人隐私。总的来说，他们都是很热心的人，但偶尔热情过了头。

-Environment: I presume you would expect answers like: the air is fresher and the water is cleaner than cities. Well, it depends. Rural part of China can be divided into two levels, develo ones and underdeveloped ones. Develo ones is a hybrid of cities and rural areas. People there try very hard to build houses resembled as houses in cities but you can directly tell they failed to do that once you see the houses. Because of their desire, to make their rural area look like a city, they dumped sand and rocks into rivers to have more land for construction. Some rural parts near coastline even dumped things inside the sea. Of course, all the construction work has made the places polluted. If you are looking for fresh air and clean water, you should step your foot in a depth of mountains. I have been in a voluntary teaching camp once in a very remote area. That`s where people cultivate their food and where people`s internal clock is stick to the sun.

-环境：我猜猜，也许你希望读到这样的答案：乡下的空气比城市更清新，水也比城市更干净。但这要视情况而定。中国农村可以分为发展中和欠发达两种。发展中的农村是城市和农村的结合体。人们努力把房子修建得和城里的一样，但只要看一眼房子你就知道他们并未做到。因为他们为了让乡村建成城市的模样，会把沙子和石头倒到河里，填出更多的土地来建房子。海岸线附近的有些农村地区甚至会填海造地。所以，这些工程污染了这些地方。如果你想要新鲜的空气和干净的水源，你应该去大山深处寻找一番。我曾经在一个非常偏远的地区支教。人们在那儿耕种粮食，日出而作，日落而息。

-Life: The infrastructure is nothing like what it is in cities. If you want to buy necessities, you can find every brand of commodities in almost every supermarkets in a city. However, in rural China, the only goods you can find is from the most popular brand of that area and they are only sold in a family-owned grocery stores. Differences of medical condition can be compared with that between China and African countries, since some “barefoot doctors” are still highly recognized.

生活：基础设施和城市没法比。如果你想买生活必需品，几乎可以在城市的每个超市找到琳琅满目的商品。但在农村，你只能买到当地最受欢迎的品牌，也只能找到家庭经营的小杂货店。医疗水平的差距也十分巨大，可能好比中国和非洲国家的差距，有些“赤脚医生”仍然备受推崇。

My hometown is a typical develo rural part of China, and I was born and raised in a city. People there are so nice. I can always find love between them. But the longer I stay, the more uncomfortable I get. It`s good to just take a look, but it would be very inconvenient if you want to live there.

我的家乡是一个典型的发展中农村，而我在城市里出生，在城市里长大。老家的人都很亲切。我总能在他们那儿感受到关爱。但我住得越久就越不舒服。偶尔回去看看是挺好的，但是如果住在那里挺不方便的。

Eric Miller

I lived in a Chinese village for a year, so I can say a bit about what it is like for a foreigner to live in rural China, and a bit about the people I know there.

我在中国的某个村庄住了一年，所以我可以说说外国人在中国农村的生活和我认识的村民。

I lived in a moderately prosperous village in central Shandong Province, where most of the income came from agriculture. The population was about 880. I was there to research old age in the village. Mostly, everyone lives in courtyard houses packed close together in the center of the village. The houses are bigger than urban apartments, with several rooms and a courtyard. Some homes are clean and pretty well furnished, while others were messy and not so clean. In most, the kitchens are still outside, there is a water pipe in the courtyard, and no toliet, shower or central heat. People have televisions, washing machines, motorcycles. A few have cars.

我生活在山东省中部的一个中等富裕的村庄，当地人的大部分收入来自农业生产。人口约为880人。我去那儿调研村子里的老人。大家几乎都住在村庄中心相互挨着的四合院里。这些房子比城市的公寓大，都有几个房间外加一个院子。有些房子很干净，家具齐备，有些房子则很乱，不够干净。大多数厨房在房子外头，院子里有一根水管，没有卫生间、淋浴或中央供暖。村民们拥有电视、洗衣机和摩托车。有些人甚至还有车。

People were generally quick to comment about how much poorer and harder life there is than in the cities, but in many ways, their lives were pretty good. The air was clear, the water was good, and we had a constant supply of locally grown vegetables, fruits, and eggs. The local tofu was amazing at sunrise, freshly made and still warm with just a simple spicy vinegar sauce. The local beer was good, too. They didn't eat so much meat--mostly pig liver and pig ears, and scrawny chickens. The generally only eat what they grow themselves. I ended up hiring a cook, as just going to market to buy food would have taken me a huge amount of time.

看到这儿，人们通常就会评论说农村生活比城里穷、更艰难，但在很多方面，他们的生活都很不错。空气清新，水也干净，有四季不断的农家绿色蔬菜、水果和鸡蛋。清晨当地的豆腐实在美味，新鲜出炉还冒着热气，只需淋上简单的酸辣汁即可享用。当地的啤酒也很好喝。他们吃肉不多——大多是猪肝、猪耳朵和小鸡。他们通常只吃自己亲手种出来的东西。我后来请了一个厨师，因为单单去市场买菜就要花上我太多时间。

Rural life revolves around the seasons. This area had a corn harvest and a wheat harvest, and each harvest is a very busy time. In between is much more relaxed. There is work to do, but people can do it at their own pace. Life also revolves around the markets, where people go to socialize and buy and sell produce and other items. These are held every ten days, but there is pretty much a market somewhere in the area every day.

乡村的生活就是围绕着一年四季而进行。到了玉米和小麦的收获季节，大家就都非常忙碌。其他时候则轻松得多。有工作可以做，但大家可以按照自己的节奏来安排。村民的生活也以市场为中心，大家在市场上社交，买卖农产品等东西。集市每十天举办一次，但当地几乎每天都有集市。

Typical days, older people would go to the fields to tend to the crops, younger people would head off to the city to work, and children would go to school. Some of the crops were processed and stored at the house. The old men would gather in the center of the village for endless retellings of fighting the Japanese and to watch games of Chinese chess. Women tended to gather closer to their homes. In the evenings, people of all ages would tend to gather on the streets under the lights to chat, play cards, pool, or other games.

老人去田里照料庄稼，年轻人去城里工作，孩子们去上学。有些庄稼加工好、贮藏在家里。老人们聚集在村子的中心，没完没了地谈论抗日战争，观看象棋比赛。女人们则更愿意聚在离家更近的地方。到了晚上，各个年龄段的人都会聚集在街上，在灯光下聊天、打牌、打台球或玩玩其他游戏。

I spent a lot of time going to weddings, where there is a lot of eating and drinking. There are other holidays, and visits to people to celebrate 100 days after a baby is born, for example. Spring Festival in the village is great, with all of the decorations and making and eating of dumplings and many foods and drinking from morning to evening, and firecrackers.

我参加过很多婚礼，婚宴有很多吃的和喝的。当地还有很多其他的庆祝活动，比如婴儿出生后100天，大家都会庆祝一番。村子里的春节十分热闹，到处张灯结彩，包饺子，吃饺子，从早到晚好吃好喝不断，烟花爆竹声不绝于耳。

For me, it was a great privilege to get to know these people. It could be a bit lonely, since no one spoke English (including the English teacher), and certainly no one would understand most of my kinds of jokes. I gravitated towards people who were a little more worldly than most. One good friend is a farmer, but also a tinkerer. Another knew the village genealogies, was an avid reader and knew more than anyone about various customs. Yet another was a man who retired from a career in the navy and so had visited many countries.

对我来说，能认识这些人是莫大的荣幸。虽然因为没人跟我说英语(包括英语老师)，我难免会有些孤独，当然也没有人能听懂我讲的大多数笑话。我更喜欢那些比普通人更加世俗的人。我结交了一个好朋友，他是个农民，但也是个修补匠。另一个好朋友熟知村里的族谱，喜欢读书，比其他人都更加了解各种风俗。还有一个好朋友是从海军退休的，去过很多国家。

I had internet access, and so was not completely cut off from the world, but I watched local TV and got into some of the serial dramas. I enjoyed hiking in the fields and mountains and bird watching in the early mornings. I was kept busy with my work and having meals and banquets with people, and also with photography.

我可以上网，所以没有完全与世界隔绝，但我也看当地的电视节目，还追了一些电视剧。我喜欢在田野和山上徒步旅行，清晨早起观鸟。我忙着工作，忙着与人聚餐，也忙着摄影。

Compared to living in the cities, it could be a bit dull, or at least there were less options. The variety of vegetables was fantastic, but it was always the same style of food. If I wanted even something like a bowl of rice or Sichuan food I had to go into town (People there eat steamed bread and dumpling, mostly, not rice.)

和住在城市相比，那儿的生活可能会有点沉闷，或者说选择比较单调。那儿的蔬菜的种类非常多，但烹饪风格都差不多。就算我只是想吃碗米饭或川菜，也得去城里(当地人吃馒头和饺子，大多不吃米饭)。

It might seem like it would be hard being a foreigner in a Chinese village because of course I stood out, but really, it was easier than in many cities. In the village and in town, I didn't hear people calling out "foreigner" but instead they called out my name. They knew who I was and why I was there, and they really adopted me, so it was really nice.

作为一个外国人，在中国农村生活似乎很难，因为我总是与众不同，但实际上比在许多城市要容易得多。在村里和县城里，人们不会喊我“老外”，而是喊我的名字。他们知道我是谁，知道我为什么在那里，他们接纳了我，所以真的挺好的。

Leonardo Cheung

It depends on in which part of China you live. Living in the countries of some well-developed coastal cities, it may be not much different from that in downtown. On the opposite of that, the difference will be huge. No good schools, no well-equipped hospitals, no malls, no buses, no cinemas,no cement roads,no running water,may be no Internet and so on......There is a joke about the urban and rural difference in China-----The life in the rural is the same with that in Africa while the life in the urban is consistent with that in Europe.

这取决于你住在中国哪里了。有些沿海发达城市的乡村和市中心并不会有太大区别。但与之相反，两者也可能存在天差地别的差异。没有好的学校，没有设备齐全的医院，没有商场，没有公共汽车，没有电影院，没有水泥路，没有自来水，也许也没有互联网等等......有一个关于中国城乡差异的笑话---农村的生活和非洲差不多，而城市的生活和欧洲也差不多。