He lives a comfortable life on a half-hectare farm in the eastern suburb of Beijing, with home-grown fruit, vegetables and poultry and the necessary home appliances. Mr Lu's berry farm and his forthright manner have started to attract visitors, mostly acquaintances he has made on the internet. 'My neighbours are all real farmers, but I am different from them: I am living a comfortable modern life in a pollution-free countryside,' he said.

'I never expected that my decision to quit city life and go for a healthy countryside life would earn me fame as well as making a living.'

Born in 1953 in a small mountain village in the northeastern province of Liaoning, Mr Lu moved to Beijing with his parents at the age of four. But he said he had been deeply influenced by his early years in Liaoning where he spent a happy childhood at the foot of Qianshan Mountain in Anshan city, now a national scenic resort. 'Although it was only a brief period of four years when I was very young, I can still remember the beautiful mountains and rivers I saw at that time, and that's how I began to love the nature and the rural life,' he said.

He joined the PLA at the age of 16 before working as an electrician. At 22, he moved to work with Beijing Public Security Bureau.

He was transferred to Beijing Tourism Administration in 1983 and began to work in various luxury hotels the following year.

Mr Lu quit his hotel job in the early 1990s and started work as a well-paid construction project manager. But he grew tired of the job although he was envied by many for earning an annual salary of more than 100,000 yuan. 'I did not feel happy because I had to do and witness a lot of things I did not really like,' he explained.

China's construction sector has been plagued by waves of corruption scandals despite repeated government crackdowns on rampant bribery and kickbacks. Official surveys conducted by the Communist Party's discipline inspection commission in recent years have shown construction remained the worst hit by corruption in all private and public sectors.

His resignation shocked his family, relatives and friends when he finally made up his mind to quit the job in 2002.

But they were even more surprised when he said he wanted to quit the city life altogether and restart as a full-time farmer. While many people doubted his decision, Mr Lu said he was very happy that he could finally leave behind the noisy and polluted city and realise his childhood dream to return to the countryside.

He wasted no time looking for a proper farm for growing raspberries, one of the most popular berry fruits in western countries but rarely seen in China at that time.

Though lacking in experience, he was quite confident about the prospect of planting raspberries after he learned a group of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Forestry had introduced and recommended the plant as a preferred fruit.

Knowing it was a potential business opportunity, he rented a small farm in Yuzhuang village, Gaoliying township, and invested more than 100,000 yuan to buy raspberry seeds. But managing a berry farm was by no means easy for him. He had to consider irrigation, electricity, fertility, the control of weed, disease and insects, all requiring management ability.

Lastly, but arguably the most difficult part, came the harvest, which runs from June to October depending on the ripening time of various types of berries. A good harvest does not necessarily lead to achieving high yields of high quality berries as raspberries are extremely fragile and perishable. The berry has to be hand picked and sold within days of harvest.

The lesson was learned in a tough way. His farm yielded less than 1,000 kg of berries in the first year due to his lack of experience. 'But I was not very upset. Of course, it would be preferable to make big money, but I can still enjoy my life if I earn much less,' he said.

It took him nearly four years until he saw good yields last year. He had to hire more than 30 skilled workers a day to pick the berry crop during the peak time of the harvest last year. According to state television, the retail price of raspberries hit 100 yuan per kilogram last year, due to a short supply and a fast-growing domestic and international demand.

Mr Lu sells his berries mostly to big overseas fruit processing companies in Beijing for the production of jams and juice. His berries are also popular in several supermarkets frequented by consumers with a taste for quality.

Mr Lu appears to be happy with his economic returns. Apart from his main crops of raspberries, he grows cotton and raises chickens and ducks, which also provide produce to earn him income.

However, to his disappointment, his wife and his 18-year-old son are not among those who understood and admired him. 'They choose to live in the city while I am alone living in my village house,' he said.

But Mr Lu is proud that he is not alone. He has made many friends thanks to local media reports of his farm and the internet chat rooms. 'I have seen a rapidly growing number of people, including white-collar urban employees and even business managers, who are interested in green products, green food and green life over the past years,' he said.

He shares all kinds of experiences with his friends, ranged from berry planting, farm management to the disposal of waste materials.

'We share the same yearning for a healthy, green lifestyle, especially when everyone suffers from the serious pollution and other environmental problems in the city,' he said. His observation was supported by official statistics, which showed green consumption has become a fashionable trend in China against a backdrop of worsening energy shortages and low energy efficiency.

The government has been campaigning for greater public awareness of environmental protection and trying to change traditional consumer pattern to buy more green products.

According to a 2004 survey conducted in 10 cities by China Consumers Association, about 54 per cent of people are willing to buy green products and about 38 per cent of people have done so. A report by China Green Food Development Centre said quality green food has been in short supply in the past several years despite the fact that the prices of the produce are generally higher, making growing it more attractive. The average price of green food is about 15 per cent higher than non-green food, with the biggest difference reaching as high as 70 per cent.

The total supply of green food amounts to over 11 million tonnes, making up only one-thousandth of total food output.

Highlighting the growing public awareness of the need of promoting environmentally friendly lifestyles, the China Consumers Association has set 'green consumption' as the theme of an annual promotional campaign. And this year, the association focuses on 'consumption and the environment', noting that China has a long way to go compared with developed countries in green consumption.

Mu Jianhua, the organisation's secretary-general, said the move was aimed at echoing the central government's call for the building of a harmonious society, which put heightened emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental protection. 'We promote a healthy, civilised and energy-saving consumption patterns and stress the harmonious co-existence of the people and the environment,' Mr Mu said, according to Xinhua.

Mr Lu also has concerns over co-existence. With the fast expansion of Beijing, the village where his farm is located is under pressure to make way for a planned giant exhibition and conference centre. 'I signed a 25-year lease when I moved in, but now neighbouring villages are disappearing as the construction of the project has sped up,' said Mr Lu.

But he is still optimistic. 'I may have to move, but it's fine. I will find a new farm and start all over again.'