Food is the paramount necessity of the people. Wheat and rice, each with a cultivation history of over 5,000 years in China, have nourished the Chinese nation throughout its long civilization.
Rice cultivation has a long and profound history in Guangdong. In Cantonese, the phrase "you mi" (literally "having rice") means "being wealthy." This precisely indicates that rice is not only a staple food for the daily diet but also the foundation of subsistence and livelihood.
This time, we turn to a grain of Lingnan rice to savor the pragmatic and enterprising spirit of the people in Guangdong.
Guangdong boasts a complex topography with a diverse array of landforms, including mountains, rivers, and plains. Today, rice is grown across the province, from the terraced fields in the northern mountainous areas to the saline-alkali lands along the southern coast.
Behind every grain of rice lies the nourishment of sunshine and rain, the hard work of farmers, and the integration of high technologies, such as drones, into agricultural production.
Sowing in spring, tilling in summer, harvesting in autumn, and storing in winter—when agricultural production follows the orderly rhythms of the four seasons, people's rice bowls can be held steady and secure.
Of course, in Guangdong, knowing how to savor rice to its fullest is even a culinary art. Using rice as the main ingredient, the people of Guangdong have mastered the art of turning rice into countless delicious dishes using a variety of cooking techniques.
There is another popular Cantonese saying—"You zhou shi zhou, you fan shi fan" (eat porridge when there is porridge, eat rice when there is rice), which embodies the pragmatic character of the people in Guangdong. This rice-related wisdom vividly shows how they root themselves in the land and build their lives.
Photo | IP Guangdong Creators: Huang Huicheng, Zhai Jiaxin, He Ying, Jiangmen Fabu, Yang Meifang, Gaoxun, Guangzhou Daily, Wu Weihong
