The combination of mass migration to China's sprawling cities and manufacturing hubs and the effects of the One Child Policy mean that China's rural population and the number of those relying on agriculture for a living have been shrinking. One result is that farm machinery is becoming more commonplace, replacing the manpower or animal power that used to suffice. Generous subsidies from local, provincial and national governments for everything from tractors to televisions help the process along. Here, dirt flies as a man in Jiangsu tills his recently harvested rice paddy.
