Emperor Cuckoo: Human interest in China

Recently, a reporter covering the news in Heilongjiang province, Shuangyashan city, discovered that because large-scale dairy product businesses have a monopoly on the price of fresh milk, the price of milk in this area is persistently low, and many small dairy farms are unable to make ends meet, and are forced to "chop up the cow" (kill the cow or sell its meat). People who raise cows say that these days a half kilo of milk isn't worth as much as a bottle of mineral water.  Experts believe that to achieve healthy sustainable development, the nation must break the monopolistic hold of a few large-scale dairy product enterprises, this would quickly bring about change and improvement.
记者近日在黑龙江省双鸭山市采访发现，由于大型乳品企业垄断区域鲜奶收购，这一地区生鲜奶收购价持续在低位徘徊，导致很多奶户入不敷出，被迫“砍牛”（杀牛或卖牛）。有养牛户表示，现在当地一斤奶价钱卖不过一瓶矿泉水。有关专家认为，要实现健康可持续发展，我国奶业急需打破少数大企业地域垄断发展模式，尽快实现转型升级。
Jìzhě jìnrì zài Hēilóng Jiāng shěng Shuāngyāshān shì cạ̌ifǎng fāxiàn, yóuyú dàxíng rǔpǐn qǐyè lǒngduàn qūyù xiānnǎi shōugòu, zhè yīdìqū shēng xiānnǎi shōugòujià chíxù zài dī wèi páihuái, dǎozhì hěn duō nǎi hù rùbùfūchū, bèipò “kǎn niú” (shā niú huò mài niú). Yǒu yǎng niú hù biǎoshì, xiànzài dāngdì yī jīn nǎi jiàqian màibuguò yī píng kuàngquánshuǐ. Yǒuguān zhuānjiā rènwéi, yào shíxiàn jiànkāng kěchíxù fāzhǎn, wǒguó nǎi yè jíxū dǎpò shǎoshù dà qǐyè dìyù lǒngduàn fāzhǎn móshì, jǐnkuài shíxiàn zhuǎnxíng shēngjí.
　
When milk isn't as good as water, cows are killed and tears flow.
We know about the monopolies, who can we ask to make this right?
Comment: Lao Song　
　　
牛奶不如水，杀牛也洒泪。
已知垄断过，改错可问谁？
点评 老宋
Niúnǎi bùrú shuǐ, shā niú yě sǎlèi.
Yǐzhī lǒngduànguo, gǎicuò kě wèn sheí?
Diǎn píng Lǎo Sòng

Source: 《每日新报》2012-04-09 第A2版: 画里有话(图) online

"Radish Guy" Han Honggang
"萝卜哥”韩红刚 " “Luóbo gē” Hán Hónggāng

Because the radishes he was giving away free to the townspeople caused a near riot and looting, and his sweet potatoes also met with disaster when more than 44,000 pounds were stolen, "Radish Guy" Han Honggang recently became a celebrity on the internet.  Yesterday, Radish Guy posted on blog.sina.com.cn [a popular blog site], and described in detail his original idea of giving away free radishes, and his state of mind after the looting.  
因为免费送萝卜给市民而招致萝卜被哄抢一空，而红薯也跟着遭殃，被抢走四万斤，“萝卜哥”韩红刚连日来成了网络红人。昨天，“萝卜哥”做客新浪微博，详细讲述了自己免费赠送萝卜的初衷和萝卜被哄抢后的心路历程。
Yīnwèi miǎnfèi sòng luóbo gěi shìmín ér zhāozhì luóbo bèi hòngqiǎng yīkōng, ér hóngshǔ yě gēnzhe zāoyāng, bèi qiạ̌ngzǒu sìwàn jīn, “luóbo gē” Hán Hónggāng liánrìlái chéngle wǎngluò hóngrén. Zuótiān, “luóbo gē” zuòkè Xīn Làng wēibó, xiángxì jiǎngshùle zìjǐ miǎnfèi zèngsòng luóbo de chūzhōng hé luóbo bèi hòngqiǎng hòu de xīnlù lìchéng. 


[Photo: Han Honggang  韩红刚 Hán Hónggāng]

[Note: these "radishes" are large and whitish, like turnip]

He said that the radishes were looted because prices had became so high that many residents couldn't afford them.  He said he didn't think hard enough about how to organize giving away radishes for free, and this brought about a chaotic situation. From now on, he will still give away vegetables for free, but they will be directed to welfare organizations and to schools for migrant workers. 
他称，萝卜被哄抢，原因是终端菜价太高，很多市民买不起。自己这次免费送萝卜的行动的确组织不周到，导致场面混乱。今后还会免费送蔬菜，不过会定向，将蔬菜送给福利机构和民工学校。
Tā chēng, luóbo bèi hòngqiǎng, yuányīn shì zhōngduān cài jià tài gāo, hěn duō shìmín mǎibuqǐ. Zìjǐ zhècì miǎnfèi sòng luóbo de xíngdòng díquè zǔzhī bù zhōudao, dǎozhì chǎngmiàn hùnluàn. Jīnhòu hái huì miǎnfèi sòng shūcài, buguò huì dìngxiàng, jiāng shūcài sònggěi fúlì jīgòu hé míngōng xuéxiào.

About the criticism he got for the "hype," Han Honggang said that he figured it was better to give away the radishes than to let them rot in the ground, and he didn't give it much thought.
面对网友的“炒作”指责，韩红刚表示，自己当时只想着把萝卜送出去总比烂在地里强，没想太多。
Miànduì wǎngyǒu de “chǎozuò” zhǐzé, Hán Hónggāng biǎoshì, zìjǐ dāngshí zhǐ xiǎngzhe bǎ luóbo sòng chūqu zǒng bǐ làn zài dì lǐ qiáng, méi xiǎng tài duō.

Even though the radishes were stolen, Radish Guy still benefitted.  Quite a few internet friends help create a "compassion for sweet potatoes" charity event, and the sweet potatoes have been selling in a community market in Zhengzhou.
虽然萝卜被抢，但“萝卜哥”却因祸得福。不少网友昨在网上帮其义卖“爱心红薯”，其红薯也得以直销进入郑州某社区广场。
Suīrán luóbo bèiqiǎng, dàn “luóbo gē” què yīnhuòdéfú. Bùshǎo wǎngyǒu zuó zài wǎng shàng bāng qí yìmài “àixīn hóngshǔ”, qí hóngshǔ yě déyǐ zhíxiāo jìnrù Zhèngzhōu mǒu shèqū guạ̌ngchǎng.

Yesterday in online interviews many people on the internet had doubts about the hype surrounding Han Honggang.  Of this, Han Honggang said, "I thought that letting the radishes rot in the ground really was a shame, and it was better to let people eat them."  Given what happened, would he still bring free vegetables to market?  Han Honggang said he would, but he will draw lessons from what happened to the radishes.
昨日，在进行微访谈时，也有不少网友质疑韩红刚有炒作之嫌。对此，韩红刚表示，自己当时只想送出去总比烂掉强，并没有想太多。“我当时想，萝卜烂在地里实在可惜，还不如让市民吃掉。”出现这样的事情，今后还会免费送菜吗？韩红刚表示还会送，但会吸取这次萝卜被抢的教训。
Zuórì, zài jìnxíng wēi fǎngtán shí, yẹ̌yǒu bùshǎo wǎngyǒu zhìyí Hán Hónggāng yǒu chǎozuò zhī xián. Duì cǐ, Hán Hónggāng biǎoshì, zìjǐ dāngshí zhǐ xiǎng sòng chūqu zǒng bǐ làndiao qiáng, bìng méiyǒu xiǎng tài duō. “Wǒ dāngshí xiǎng, luóbo làn zài dì lǐ shízài kěxī, hái bùrú ràng shìmín chīdiào.” Chūxiàn zhèyàng de shìqing, jīnhòu hái huì miǎnfèi sòngcài ma? Hán Hónggāng biǎoshì hái huì sòng, dàn huì xīqǔ zhècì luóbo bèiqiǎng de jiàoxun.

Even though by looting the community showed rude behavior, because of media attention many people were concerned that he'd lost a lot of money by bringing the radishes to market for free, and on their own initiative they bought Han Honggang's sweet potatoes, and for this he feels very gratified.  "It really is a case of benefitting from misfortune.  The first day, I sold 2,000 RMB of sweet potatoes. The third day, my income from the sweet potatoes alone was close to 5,000 rmb," said Han Honggang.
尽管市民拔萝卜时发生了哄抢的不文明现象，但经过媒体的报道仍有不少人担心他免费送萝卜亏本太大，主动掏钱购买韩红刚的红薯，这让他感到很欣慰。“也算因祸得福吧。第1天，卖红薯卖了2000多块钱。3天下来，光卖红薯收入了近5000元。”韩红刚说。
Jị̌nguǎn shìmín bá luóbo shí fāshēngle hòngqiǎng de bù wénmíng xiànxiàng, dàn jīngguò méitǐ de bàodào réngyǒu bùshǎo rén dānxīn tā miǎnfèi sòng luóbo kuīběn tài dà, zhǔdòng tāoqián gòumǎi Hán Hónggāng de hóngshǔ, zhè ràng tā gǎndào hěn xīnwèi. “Yě suàn yīnhuòdéfú ba. Dì 1 tiān, mài hóngshǔ màile 2000 duō kuài qián. 3 Tiān xiàlai, guāng mài hóngshǔ shōurùle jìn 5000 yuán,” Hán Hónggāng shuō.

Source：《广州日报 》2011-12/01： “萝卜哥”笑称“吃亏是福” online

Village, art, life
(农村, 艺术, 人生  Nóngcūn, yìshù, rénshēng)

Seen from the outside, Xiong Qinghua's house is not very different from the ordinary farmer's house on the Jiang Han flatlands ... But when you step into the central room, it's like entering another universe: the four walls are covered with murals done by the master's own hands ... 
(从外面看，熊庆华的家与江汉平原的普通农家没有二样。踏进堂屋，俨然换了一片天地：四周墙上满是主人亲手绘制的壁画 Cóng wàimiàn kàn, Xióng Qìnghuá de jiā yǔ Jiāng Hàn píngyuán de pǔtōng nóngjiā méiyǒu èr yàng ... Tà jìn tángwū, yǎn rán huàn le yí piàn tiāndì: sìzhōu qiángshàng mǎnshì zhǔrén qīnshǒu huìzhì de bìhuà) ...
Outside the room there is the smell of fragrant earth; inside the room, all is elegantly and richly done ...
(屋外，泥土芬芳。屋内，雅趣盎然。Wūwài, nítǔ fēnfāng; wūnèi, yǎqù àngrán)...
    
[Photo] Xiong Qinghua, "farmer painter," paints life in all its brilliance (“农民画家”熊庆华“画”出精彩人生 "Nóngmín huàjiā” Xióng Qìnghuà “huà” chū jīngcǎi rénshēng)]

Xiong Qinghua is a 35-year-old villager whose 20-year obsession has never changed; on the wide expanse of the open fields, he "draws" his own brilliant life  (熊庆华，一位35岁的农村汉子，20多年痴心不改，在广袤的田野上“画”出自己的精彩人生。Yíwèi 35 suì de nóngcūn hànzi, 20 duō nián chīxīn bù gǎi, zài guǎngmào de tiányě shàng "huà" chū zìjǐ de jīngcǎi rénshēng) ... . 

As many of his fellow villagers know, the Xiong family had a child who loved to draw, and was so infatuated by it that he'd stay in his room drawing all day long  (很多乡亲都知道，熊家有个喜欢画画的儿子，甚至还有点入迷，有时候在屋子里画画一呆就是一整天 Hěn duō xiāngqīn dōu zhīdào, Xióng jiā yǒu gè xǐhuan huàhuà de érzi, shènzhì hái yóu diǎn rùmí, yǒu shíhou zài wūzi lǐ huàhuà yì dāi jiù shì yìzhěngtiān)... 

The village Party secretary, Zhou Houlong, once served as the village's primary school headmaster; he told the reporter that in those days, the school didn't have art classes, but Xiong Qinghua had so much innate talent, he was able to acquire skills without being taught, everyone knew his pictures were well laid out  ...
(村支书周后龙曾当过村小的校长，他告诉记者，那时候村小还没有正式开过美术课，熊庆华很有天赋，无师自通，大家都知道他画画有板眼。Cūn zhīshū Zhōu Hòulóng céng dāngguò cūn xiǎo de xiàozhǎng， tā gàosu jìzhě, nà shíhou cūn xiǎo hái méiyǒu zhèngshì kāi guò měishù kè, Xióng Qìnghuá hěn yǒu tiānfù, wúshīzìtōng, dàjiā dōu zhīdào tā huàhuà yǒu bányǎn)... 

When his junior middle school began offering art classes, Xiong Qinghua always got first place in drawing, and often earned the praise of his art teacher; then he went on to immerse himself in drawing 
(初中开始有了美术课，熊庆华的绘画作业每次都是 “甲”，多次得到美术老师的表扬，这之后他就沉迷于画画之中。Chūzhōng kāishǐ yǒu le měishù kè, Xióng Qìnghuá de huìhuà zuòyè měi cì dōu shì "jiǎ," duōcì dédào měishù lǎoshī de biǎoyáng, zhè zhīhòu tā jiù chénmí yú huàhuà zhīzhōng) ... 

When he was sixteen, he dropped out of school, and apart from doing a bit of simple work around the farm, he shut himself up in his room writing and painting ... His family members began to object, and some people outside the family ridiculed him (16岁那年，熊庆华辍学了，除了做一些简单的农活，一有时间就关在屋子里写写画画，家里人开始有意见了，外人也开始冷嘲热讽。16 suì nànián, Xióng Qìnghuá chuòxué le,  chúle zuò yìxiē jiǎndān de nónghuó, yìyǒu shíjiān jiù guān zài wūzi lǐ xiěxiě huàhuà, jiālǐ rén kāishǐ yǒu yìjiàn le, wàirén yě kāishǐ lěngcháorèfěng)... 

"Other people have kids who feel good working the land, they get out and have jobs, you stay in the house and don't know how to do anything" ... During the busiest farming seasons, his mother would nag him about this endlessly ... Fortunately, his father, Xiong Guangyuan, supported him, and as in the past often gave him money for art supplies ...
(“别人的孩子要么在家安心种地，要么出去打工，你呆在家里不晓得搞些么事。 农忙时节，母亲经常在他面前唠叨。幸亏父亲熊光元还比较支持，依旧掏钱给他买画画用的材料。 "Biérén de háizi yàome zàijiā ānxīn zhòngdì, yàome chūqu dǎgōng, nǐ dāi zài jiālǐ bù xiǎodé gǎo xiēme shì" ...  Nóngmáng shíjié, mǔqīn jīngcháng zài tā miànqián láodāo。 Xìngkuī fùqīn Xióng Guāngyuán hái bǐjiào zhīchí, yījiù tāoqián gěi tā mǎi huàhuà yòng de cáiliào)... 

"In those day it was really hard to buy art supplies, you had to go all the way to the city," Xiong Qinghua said ... "In order to save on carfare, I would ride my beat-up old bike into the city, wander around the bookstores, buy materials; each trip took about three hours."  Because life was hard, the art supplies he used always were the cheapest, and he made his own drawing table ...
(“那时候真是辛苦啊！买材料还要跑到市区去买。”熊庆华说，“为了节约车费，我经常骑着一辆破自行车到城区逛书店，买材料，去一趟就得三个多小时。”因为生活艰辛，熊庆华用的画具都是最廉价的，还自己动手做画板。“Nà shíhou zhēn shì xīnkǔ ā！Mǎi cáiliào hái yào pǎodào shìqū qù mǎi。 ” Xióng Qìnghuá shuō， “Wèile jiéyuē chēfèi, wǒ jīngcháng qízhe yí liàng pò zìxíngchē dào chéngqū guàng shū diàn, mǎi cáiliào, qù yí tàng jiù děi sān gè duō xiǎoshí 。 ” Yīnwèi shēnghuó jiānxīn, Xióng Qìnghuá yòng de huàjù dōu shì zuì liánjià de, hái zìjǐ dòngshǒu zuò huàbǎn)... 

In 1999, he started a family, and his wife Fu Aijiao fully supported him ... Naturally, their home was extremely poor, but she always found a way to squeeze out  money for art supplies (1999年，熊庆华成了家，妻子付爱娇对他很支持。家里虽然很清贫，但总是挤出钱来给他买材料。1999 nián, Xióng Qìnghuá chéng le jiā, qīzi Fù Àijiāo duì tā hěn zhīchí。Jiā lǐ suīrán hěn qīngpín, dàn zǒng shì jǐchū qián lái gěi tā mǎicái liào)... 
   
In 2003, in order to make a living, he and his wife went to Shenzhen to find temporary work; not long after that, Xiong Qinghua returned to his home town, and took a job as a milkman: "A morning's work took about two to three hours, in the remaining time I painted" ... During the busy farming season, he helped out a little on the farm  (2003年，为了生活，熊庆华和妻子一起去深圳打工，没多久，熊庆华就回到老家，在镇上做了一名送奶工。“早上工作两三个小时，剩下的时间就全部画画。”农忙时节，他还帮家里做些农活。2003 nián, wèile shēnghuó, Xióng Qìnghuá hé qīzi yìqǐ qù Shēnzhèn dǎgōng, méi duō jiǔ, Xióng Qìnghuá jiù huí dào lǎo jiā, zài zhèn shàng zuò le yì míng sòngnǎigōng. "Zǎoshang gōngzuò liǎng sān gè xiǎoshí, shèng xià de shíjiān jiù quánbù huàhuà." Nóngmáng shíjié, tā hái bāng jiālǐ zuò xiē nónghuó)... 

Despite the heavy pressures of daily life, Xióng Qìnghuá never once abandoned his life's pursuit ...
(在沉重的生活重压下，熊庆华始终没有放弃自己的追求。Zài chénzhòng de shēnghuó zhòng yāxià, Xióng Qìnghuá shǐzhōng méiyǒu fàngqì zìjǐ de zhuīqiú) ...

One day in 2006, he saw his son squatting at play by a chair, and on a whim he made a sketch, and later copied the drawing onto canvas, colored it with oils, painted in a background, and that became an oil painting called "A Child's Fear"  (2006年的一天，他看到儿子蹲在椅子边玩耍，就心血来潮地给儿子画了一幅素描，之后，他又将这幅素描临摹在油画布上，加上油彩，画上了背景，成了一副“幼子恐惧图”。2006 nián de yì tiān, tā kàndào érzi dūn zài yǐzi biān wánshuǎ, jiù xīnxuèláicháodì gěi érzi huà le yì fú sùmiáo, zhīhòu, tā yòu jiāng zhè fú sùmiáo línmó zài yóuhuàbù shàng, jiāshàng yóucǎi, huàshàng le bèijǐng, chéngle yí fù “Yòuzǐ kǒngjù tú”)... 

Xiong Qinghua's paintings mainly are realistic, he paints life in the local village, such as kite flying, dragon lantern dancing, catching fish, and so on ...  He also is capable of painting scenes around his home, such as the landscape and the people; for example, his neighbor's house, the flowers at the front door, the peonies, and so forth ... 
(熊庆华的原创画多以写实为主，描绘一些乡村的风土人情，如放风筝、玩龙灯、拖鱼等。他还会画一些自己家门口的风景和人物，比如邻居的房子、门口的夜来香、牡丹等。他十分怀念儿时的时光，所以在他的画里也可以看到一些儿时的回忆，比如踢毽子、跳皮筋、老鹰捉小鸡、捅马蜂窝等。Xióng Qìnghuá de yuán chuàng huà duō yǐ xiěshí wéizhǔ, miáo huì yìxiē xiāngcūn de fēngtǔ rénqíng, rú fàng fēngzheng, wán lóngdēng, tuōyú děng.  Tā hái huì huàyì xiē zìjǐ jiāménkǒu de fēngjǐng hé rénwù, bǐrú línjū de fángzi, ménkǒu de yèláixiāng, mǔdān děng) ...
 
Having gone through so many techniques, Xiong Qinghua has created his own style:  "Now I am mainly an oil painter; I think my greatest strength is having a sense of movement, and the 'country' atmosphere is especially rich" ...(经过多年的积淀，熊庆华逐步形成了自己的创作风格，“我现在主要以画油画为主，个人觉得我最大的特点就是有动感，有张力，乡土气息特浓。”Jīngguò duōnián de jīdiàn, Xióng Qìnghuá zhúbù xíngchéng le zìjǐ de chuàngzuò fēnggé, “Wǒ xiànzài zhǔyào yǐ huà yóuhuà wéizhǔ, gè rén juédé wǒ zuì dà de tèdiǎn jiùshì yǒu dònggǎn, yǒu zhānglì, xiāngtǔ qìxī tè nóng)...

In the spring of 2010, Xiong Qinghua invited a junior high school classmate, who is now a designer in Shenzhen, to come and view his works; his friend really admired him, and suggested he put his works online and show the world his artwork (2010年春节，熊庆华邀请在深圳做设计师的一位初中同学去观摩自己的画，该同学对他十分钦佩，并建议他通过互联网向外界展示自己的作品。2010 nián chūnjié, Xióng Qìnghuá yāoqǐng zài Shēnzhèn zuò shè jì shī de yíwèi chūzhōng tóngxué qù guānmó zìjǐ de huà, gāi tóngxué duì tā shífēn qīnpèi, bìng jiànyì tā tōngguò hùliánwǎng xiàng wàijiè zhǎnshì zìjǐ de zuòpǐn)... 

So he bought a computer, and a camera, and by himself began to put up his artwork on Tianya, Dongfang Net, Red Net and similar forums, and on his own blog, and he organizes online exhibitions, has gotten rave reviews, and post after post ... (于是，熊庆华买了电脑、照相机，把自己的作品上传至天涯、东方网、红网等论坛和自己的博客，在网上办油画展，受到网友热捧，纷纷跟帖。Yú shì, Xióng Qìnghuá mǎi le diànnǎo, zhàoxiàngjī, bǎ zìjǐ de zuòpǐn shàng chuán zhì Tiānyá, Dōngfāng wǎng, Hóng wǎng děng lùntán hé zìjǐ de bókè, zài wǎngshàng bàn yóuhuà zhǎn, shòudào wǎngyǒu rèpěng, fēnfēn gēn tiē)... 

He has received many compliments online for his work;  at the same time, people are endlessly calling him, asking to buy his works at high prices  (同时，不断有人打电话联系，要求高价购买他的作品  tóngshí, búduàn yǒu rén dǎ diànhuà liánxì,  yāoqiú gāojià gòumǎi tā de zuòpǐn)... 

Last April, he sold many works online; the highest price was 10,000 yuan [about $1,600.00] ... As of September of this year, he has sold artworks for tens of thousands more yuan (去年4月，他通过网络卖出了 [一些] 作品 ... 今年元至9月，他又卖出了几万块的作品。Qùnián 4 yuè, tā tōngguò wǎngluò màichū le [yixie] zuò pǐnjīn; jīnnián yuán zhì 9 yuè, tā yòu màichū le jǐ wàn kuài de zuòpǐn)... 

"More and more people are getting to know my work, and are endorsing it, so I am realizing my own sense of worth"  ... Xiong Qinghua is growing more and more passionate about his creations... (“越来越多的人了解了我的画，认可我的作品，感觉到自己的人生价值得到实现。”熊庆华的创造热情越来越高。"Yuèláiyuè duō de rén liáojiě le wǒde huà, rènkě wǒ de zuòpǐn, gǎnjué dào zìjǐ de rénshēng jiàzhí dé dào shíxiàn," Xióng Qìnghuá de chuàngzào rèqíng yuèláiyuè gāo)... 

People have invited him to the city to exhibit, but he has politely declined:  "I don't like the noises of the big city, I like the life of peace and quiet of the open fields" ... He says he will continue with his own life as an artist in the village ...
(“我不喜欢城市的喧闹，还是喜欢现在这种宁静的田园生活。”熊庆华表示，他将会在农村继续自己的艺术人生。”  "Wǒ bù xǐhuan chéngshì de xuānnào, háishì xǐhuan xiànzài zhèzhǒng níngjìng de tiányuán shēnghuó..." Xióng Qìnghuá biǎoshì, tā jiāng huì zài nóngcūn jìxù zìjǐ de yìshù rénshēng)...

Source: 《农村新报》2011-10/15: " 农村新报讯 图为：熊庆华在简陋的画室作画" online 

Bumper crop of walnuts, but nobody wants them
(核桃丰收却无人收  Hétao fēngshōu què wúrén shōu)

"This year we harvested and filled several burlap sacks of walnuts; at this time in past years, merchants would come around and go from house to house buying walnuts; but this year, why doesn't anyone want them?" 
(“今年自家收获的核桃装了几麻袋，往年这个时候商贩就会找上门来将各家各户的核桃收走，可今年怎么没人要呢？” "Jīnnián zìjiā shōuhuò de hétao zhuāng le jǐ mádài, wǎngnián zhège shíhou shāngfàn jiù huì zhǎo shàngmén lái jiāng gèjiā gèhù de hétao shōuzǒu, kě jīnnián zěnme méi rén yào ne?") ... 

With a bumper crop of walnuts [核桃 hétao], and no one to buy them, a farmer named Mr. Ni called the local Ping Gu District [Beijing] Complaints Office "to ask if there was a good way to find a market for his home-grown walnuts" ...
("有没有更加便捷的办法将自产的核桃卖出去" "yǒu méiyǒu gèngjiā biànjié de bànfǎ jiāng zìchǎn de hétao mài chūqu")... 

Yesterday, the reporter and an official from the town's Complaints Office went to Mr. Ni's village to call on him ...
(昨天，市信访办工作人员和记者来到倪先生所在的村子实地探访   Zuó tiān, shì xìnfǎngbàn gōngzuò rényuán hé jìzhě láidào Ní xiānsheng suǒzài de cūnzi shídì tànfǎng)... 

In the afternoon sunlight, the scene was bumper crops everywhere; in the peaceful village, families were drying corn, beans and other crops in the sun and air.  Led by Ping Gu district Party officials, the reporter arrived at the courtyard of Mr. Ni's home, and "what leapt to the reporter's eye was the bright green Chinese cabbage on the ground, the tender shallots and leeks, and the neatly arranged pile of golden-yellow corn, from the foot of the wall to the base of the window -- really a lovely sight" ...
(首先映入眼帘的便是脚边绿油油的大白菜，还有嫩嫩的小葱和韭菜，墙边整齐地堆放着金黄的玉米棒子，从墙根一直堆到窗根，煞是好看 (shǒuxiān yìngrùyǎnlián de biànshì jiǎo biān lǜyóuyóu de dà báicài, hái yǒu nènnèn de xiǎocōng hé jiǔcài, qiáng biān zhěngqí dì duīfàng zhe jīnhuáng de yùmǐ bàngzi, cóng qiáng gēn yìzhí duī dào chuāng gēn, shàshì hǎokàn)... 

Mr. Ni poured a sack of walnuts onto the concrete platform, and his simple and straightforward language was filled with local expressions of the villagers (倪先生将一麻袋核桃倒在水泥台上，言谈话语间透出当地村民的质朴  Ní xiānsheng jiāng yì mádài hétao dǎo zài shuǐní táishàng, yántán huàyǔ jiān tòu chū dāngdì cūnmín de zhìpǔ)... 

“In late August, on Limit of Heat Day, we began to harvest the walnuts" ... As Mr. Ni used his hand to stir the plump walnuts, he continued, "On this property there are more than 200 walnut trees, some of the smaller trees don't yield very much, but this year after harvesting and sun-drying, we prepared about eight burlap sacks, which is more than 400 "jin" [about 440 pounds]" ...
(“从8月底处暑一到，核桃就开始收了。” 倪先生用手拨着饱满的核桃说，"家里共有200多棵核桃树，有的小树挂果还不算多，今年收获的核桃晾干后整整装了8麻袋，有400多斤重。"  "Cóng 8 yuè dǐ chúshǔ yídào, hétao jiù kāishǐ shōu le。”  Ní xiānsheng yòng shǒu bōzhe báomǎn de hétao shuō, "Jiālǐ gòngyǒu 200 duō kē hétao shù, yǒu de xiǎo shùguà guǒ hái bú suàn duō, jīnnián shōuhuò de hétao liànggān hòu zhéng zhěngzhuāng le 8 mádài, yǒu 400 duō jīn zhòng")... 

[Note: According to the Chinese lunar calendar, also known as the agricultural calendar, "chúshǔ" or Limit of Heat Day this year fell on August 23rd]

In Mr. Ni's small room there were piled a number of large burlap sacks containing walnuts ... The reporter learned that these days, even though the workload isn't very heavy, the Ni family doesn't have much leisure time, because they find work doing odd jobs at construction sites in the surrounding areas ...
(在倪先生家的一间小屋里堆放着数只装有核桃的大麻袋。据了解，目前地里的活儿虽然不多，但是倪先生一家人也没有闲暇，在周边的工地忙着打零工 (Zài Ní xiānsheng jiā de yì jiān xiǎo wūlǐ duīfàngzhe shù zhǐ zhuāngyǒu hétao de dà mádài. Jù liáojiě, mùqián dì lǐ de huór suīrán bù duō, dàn shì Ní xiānsheng yìjiārén yě méiyǒu xiánxiá, zài zhōu biān de gōngdì mángzhe dǎ línggōng) ... 

Mr. Ni pointed to the muddy cuffs of his trousers and said, "I work every day, I stop work very late each evening, then I have something to eat, and while I'm resting, I'm constantly thinking of where to sell the walnuts, but I don't know why, this year I haven't found anyone who wants the walnuts" ...
(倪先生指着裤脚的泥土说：“每天都有活儿，收了工就挺晚的了，吃完饭也就到了休息的时候，一直想把占着地方的核桃卖掉，但是不知道为什么，今年一直没碰上收核桃的人。”Ní xiānsheng zhǐzhe kùjiǎo de nítǔ shuō: "Měitiān dōu yǒu huór, shōu le gōng jiù tǐng wǎn de le, chī wánfàn yě jiù dàoliǎo xiūxi de shíhou, yìzhí xiǎng bǎ zhànzhe dìfang de hétao màidiào, dànshì bù zhīdào wèishénme, jīnnián yìzhí méi pèngshàng shōu hétao de rén") ...

Mr Ni said that every year after the walnut harvest, around October 1st [date of the PRC National Day holiday], merchants from Tianjin's Ji county usually come around to buy, the trucks they use to transport the walnuts are brimming over ...
(倪先生说，每年核桃收获以后，十一前后，天津蓟县附近的商贩都会主动上门来收，收购核桃的卡车也常常会装得满满的。Ní xiānsheng shuō, "Měinián hétao shōuhuò yǐhòu, shíyì qiánhòu, Tiānjīn Jì xiàn fùjìn de shāngfàn dūhuì zhǔdòng shàngmén lái shōu, shōugòu hétao de kǎchē yě chángcháng huì zhuāng dé mǎnmǎn de")... 

This year, apart from a few merchants who bought freshly picked walnuts with shells, he hasn't seen anyone buying walnuts; everyone in the village has the same impression (今年，他除了看到有人收购刚刚摘下来的带皮鲜核桃外，就再也没见到收核桃的，村里很多人对此也有同感  Jīnnián, tā chúle kàndào yǒu rén shōugòu gānggāng zhāixiàlái de dài pí xiān hétao wài, jiù zài yě méi jiàndào shōu hétao de, cūnlǐ hěn duō rén duì cǐ yě yǒu tónggǎn)... 

"Usually you could store these walnuts until next year, and maybe without much problem sell them, but you have to sell last year's walnuts at a slight discount, so I would rather try to sell them off now," Mr. Ni said 
(“按说这核桃可以储存到明年，应该不太着急出手，但是去年的核桃收购价格到后来略有下降，所以我还是希望能尽快把这些核桃卖掉。”老倪说。"Ànshuō zhè hétao kéyǐ chǔcún dào míngnián, yīnggāi bú tài zháojí chūshǒu, dànshì qùnián de hétao shōugòu jiàgé dào hòulái lüèyǒu xiàjiàng, suóyǐ wǒ háishì xīwàng néng jìnkuài bǎ zhèxiē hétao màidiào," Lǎo Ní shuō)... 

Soon after, at a Huazi village committee meeting, the local Party secretary explained the situation of the trees planted in the village:  There are tens of thousands each of walnut and persimmon trees (随后，在滑子村村委会，村支书向记者介绍了村内果树种植的情况，核桃树和柿子树各有几万棵。Suíhòu, zài Huázǐ cūn cūnwěihuì, cūn zhīshū xiàng jìzhě jièshào le cūnnèi guǒshù zhòngzhí de qíng kuàng, hétaoshù hé shìzishù gè yǒu jǐwàn kē)... 

Since Huazi village is not far from Jin Hai Hu, Da Rong Dong and other scenic spots, and there is a neighboring hospital for teachers who are convalescing, whenever the harvest season comes around, a few villagers can sell directly to the tourists ...
(由于滑子村距离金海湖和大溶洞等景点不远，又紧邻市教工疗养院，每到收获季节，有的村民就直接销售给游人。Yóuyú Huázǐ cūn jùlí Jīn Hǎi Hú hé Dà Róng Dòng děng jǐngdiǎn bù yuǎn, yòu jǐnlín shì jiàogōng liáoyǎngyuàn, měi dào shōuhuò jìjié, yǒu de cūnmín jiù zhíjiē xiāoshòu gěi yóurén)... 

Mr. Li, the director of Ping Gu district's Complaints Office, explained that the district of Ping Gu and his office have set up a mechanism to easily sell the farmer's products  (据平谷区信访办李主任介绍，平谷区与多个部门建立联动机制为农产品销售提供便利 Jù Píng Gǔ qū xìnfǎng bànlǐ zhǔrèn jièshào,  Píng Gǔ qū yǔ duō gè bùmén jiànlì lián dòng jīzhì wéi nóngchánpǐn xiāoshòu tígōng biànlì)... 

"This year, there won't be even one of Ping Gu's large peaches left over, and the ones that aren't very good will be sent to the factories to be made into candied fruit and drinks (今年平谷的大桃一个都没剩下，最不中看的也送到了食品厂制成果脯和饮料。”“Jīnnián Píng Gǔ de dà táo yí gè dōu méi shèngxià, zuì bùzhōng kàn de yě sòngdào le shípǐn chǎng zhìchéng guófǔ hé yǐnliào")... 

He said that if everyone knew the village produced such top-grade walnuts, not only would city folks be able to taste the fresh ones, but this would help the farmers in the village make sales ... 
(他表示，如果大家都知道村子里有优质的核桃，不仅城里人能尝到鲜儿，也能帮村里的农民打开销路。Tā biǎoshì,  rúguǒ dàjiā dōu zhīdào cūnzi lǐ yǒu yōuzhì de hétao, bùjǐn chénglǐrén néng chángdào xiān'ér, yě néng bāng cūnlǐ de nóngmín dǎkāi xiāolù)... 

Source: 《北京日报 》2011-10/12 "平谷金海湖滑子村新核桃丰收没人收老农心急"  online