Lejen Chen was born in Taiwan, grew up in New York and now lives in Beijing. Twelve years ago the independent filmmaker worked in the United States, but she has now become a 'Beijing peasant' in the suburbs, planting vegetables and raising cattle on her organic farm. The Green Cow Farm is also a vegetable club, which costs 16,000 yuan (HK$ 18,200) a year and requires members to contribute labour at least one day per season, either planting in the spring or harvesting in autumn.
Why did you come to Beijing and start your farm there?
The first time I came to the mainland was in 1989. Before that, I had lived in New York since the age of eight, when my family moved there from Taiwan. On the mainland, I met a man who I really fell in love with and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. He is a Beijinger, we got married and have an adorable daughter.
Twelve years ago, we set up Mrs Shanen's [restaurant] and brought bagels to the mainland. Farming was new to me then. But now, I can't imagine what I would eat if I didn't have the farm.
Why do you say that?
Food safety is a universal issue. The problems of large-scale industrial farming and mass production are threatening the security of our food. Look at the recent recalls of peanuts and pistachios in the United States. It took months before they managed to trace the problem to salmonella in the peanuts.
