"That is exactly the time when we started to make more money," Yu said. "So my younger daughter enjoys everything-the family is making money, and the school no longer asks for incidental fees."

Yu continued, "At present, we have everything that a city family has-ADSL, computers, air-conditioning, refrigeration, DVD players, and so on."

Yu said in the past he was very attracted to city life.

"But now, the city is much more polluted by all kinds of toxic stuff and we can still enjoy fresh air and quietness in the countryside," he said.

Lacking proper insurance

When asked about the countryside's medical and social insurance, Yu said every year, each farmer must pay 10 yuan to the village committee and will receive reimbursement if they fall ill.

"I don't remember exactly how much reimbursement we can get, because all of my family members are healthy and we needn't be hospitalized," said Yu. "The reimbursement ratio is different from year to year as the policy becomes more and more favorable towards farmers."

This became a common practice in villages in Jiangsu Province about two years ago.

In Chengjiao Village, 16 kilometers away from Fujiabian, some farmers have already enjoyed the benefit of a rural medical insurance system.

Before villager Liu Laifa's wife died of cancer in 2004, the whole family spent over 40,000 yuan for the medical treatment. One quarter of the medical expenses was covered by the village committee the next year.

"Although the amount of money was not big, it was still better than nothing," said Liu, adding "the reimbursement would be unimaginable before 2003."

However, as Yu contended, the rural medical insurance system still falls far short of that in urban areas.

"I heard that in cities almost each medical expense can be reimbursed," Yu argued, "Why can't ours?"

Yu doesn't totally rely on the local government for medical treatment.

"When I am still capable, I will strive to make as much money as possible in case my family get ill in the future," he said. Yu still believes family support, for the time being, is the most trustworthy way for medical expenses.

Huge gap between east and west

When farmers in the eastern part of China are living in two-story houses, watching color TV, and taking showers from solar water heaters, those in the western part of the country are still struggling to make ends meet.

City born and bred, Zhang Hui, at 25, is considered to be at the right age to get married.

"I won't marry my current boyfriend because his family are poor farmers in Xuzhou," she said. Xuzhou is a northern city in Jiangsu Province, which is underdeveloped compared with southern and eastern parts of Jiangsu.

This January, Zhang was introduced to another man whose family also turned out to be farmers.

"But this man is different, because his parents are farmers from Fujiabian," she said.

Zhang was quick to spot the difference.

"There are rich farmers and poor farmers," Zhang said. "Those in west China are generally poor and less educated."

Zhang might sound harsh and judgmental. But her attitude is far from isolated in this vast country.

As Beijing Review reporters found out, there are some major reasons for the development gap between western and eastern countrysides in China. In east coastal areas where the economy is developed, farmers are well-informed about news and policies. Local governments are relatively rich thanks to industrialization and may have more disposable capital, which can be invested in agriculture. Meanwhile, the warm climate in east China enables harvesting of vegetables and crops two to three times a year, while in the less developed middle and northwestern countryside where the climate isn't as good, farmers can only reap once a year. As a result, farmers in northwest China may earn a net income of only 2,000 yuan a year from one hectare, but those in the southeastern part will likely bring in over 40,000 yuan from the same amount of land.

Additionally, farmers in west China usually grow crops like wheat, soybeans, and corn, while coastal farmers tend to grow more potentially prosperous economic crops like fruit trees, tea and flowers. They have even started up "rural tour" programs for urban dwellers to experience country life and earn a lot from these relatively well-off city slickers.

Yu's family is just an example of the 1,300 farming households in Fujiabian Village. He said he and his fellow countrymen were very grateful for the Central Government's decision to build up a new countryside.