Recently, a growing number of young people in big cities have become interested in urban farming. Setting aside the pressures of their fast-paced metropolitan lives, they're opting to spend free time cultivating grain, fruit and vegetable crops on rented plots on the outskirts, in small gardens in their homes, on their balconies or even in their offices. Urban farming is also becoming a hot topic on social media, with urban farming variety show To Farm (Zhongdi Ba) going viral among netizens.

While the new trend is generally being applauded by pundits, there are some caveats when it comes to "gardening for the camera."

Tang Wei (Beijing Youth Daily): Young urbanites' enthusiasm for farm work is partly driven by curiosity and partly by the discovery of the value of labor through farming. The process of farming allows them to work hard and then harvest the fruits of their labor. Many of them feel that farming is a form of self-cultivation and a more meaningful leisure activity. As they become stronger physically, young people also begin to enjoy and feel refreshed from farm work.

Busy urban life is somewhat eroding the physical and mental health of the young, making them feel marginalized and excluded. Sedentary office work hurts their health and psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and stress are already posing a threat to individuals and society on the whole. Only by finding a suitable way to relax and reenergize can one really escape these traps.

Farm work adds color to what can otherwise be a dull urban life for young people. It also allows them to express their individuality and creativity, and helps develop a positive mindset. Everyone, young or old, needs to find ways to cope with the pressures of daily life and thus maintain a psychological balance, whether it's reading, listening to music, traveling, meditation, or gardening.

Ding Pengzhi (www.voc.com.cn): Rather than using it as a method of escapism from the realities of urban life, young people are engaging in urban farming mostly because of their passion for it and because they have the confidence to engage in new pursuits that interest them and enthusiastically embrace life.

This group does deserve plaudits. However, some young people are engaging in urban farming with the sole purpose of attracting social media traffic, and they down tools and abandon their plots and crops as soon as they finish filming.

This new passion for green lifestyles and farming deserves applause, but wasting land and resources to accumulate fans should be neither applauded nor rewarded. We should all hold a basic reverence for the land as it is the source of our food.

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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