A man in a short-sleeved red shirt caught my eye as he entered a rural cafe in Shanghai’s western suburbs on Sunday afternoon, where I was sipping a cup of hot Americano to ward off the last of the winter chill .

Alarmed by the day’s weather forecast predicting plummeting temperatures, I donned a mock-neck knit sweater and a thick hooded jacket before leaving my suburban home for a rural hike in the village of Fangxia, Qingpu District. The village, which borders Songjiang District, is my favorite choice for a nature walk.

When I first discovered this pristine village a few years ago during a field study of its agricultural irrigation system, it was largely inaccessible and unappealing to most outsiders, considering of its narrow muddy roads winding through or alongside vast rice fields and dense forests. In a sense, it was a rustic world unto itself, “apart” from the residents of neighboring towns. I was perhaps one of the few nature lovers wandering around this hermit village, trying to understand what a slower life means.

But last Sunday was different. A newly opened rural fair and cafe, shaded by groups of tall trees and surrounded by well-paved walking and cycling paths, has surprisingly become a meeting point for enthusiastic runners, cyclists and motorcyclists from near and far, who can stop for a drink. take a rest, drink a cup of coffee, or buy local produce like packaged rice and mushrooms.

The man in the short-sleeved shirt turned out to be a runner.

“Aren’t you cold?” I asked him as he stopped near a glass door. He looked at me but didn’t respond. Then I realized he was wearing a pair of wireless earplugs.

He had barely removed his earplugs when a young woman in sportswear appeared and said to me: “Not cold at all.” We just ran 10 kilometers from our home in the nearby town of Xujing. After a rest here, we will run back. House.”

She had obviously heard my question to the young man, who is her husband.

“Did you mean that the two of you ran west along Huqingping Expressway?” Did the heavy traffic and the resulting car emissions bother you? I asked, assuming they had taken no other route than the often-crowded highway I knew so well.

I thought it was the only way to get here from Xujing, a thriving town in the far east of Qingpu, about 25 kilometers from People’s Square in downtown Shanghai.

“No, we didn’t run on the highway. We passed through different villages along the way,” she replied, explaining in detail how I could find the rural running route if I I wanted to exercise like them one day.

“We have been running for many years, even before this rural fair and café existed,” she said cheerfully, noting that the rural fair and café is a plus for runners because it allows them to refresh and connect.

After walking with them, I saw another young woman in the distance in sports gear, a pair of brightly colored bicycles next to her. As a cycling superfan, I went up and struck up a conversation.

“How far have you traveled?” I asked.

“We started from our house near the Shanghai Zoo in Changning District,” she said. “And after a break here, we will drive to the university town of Songjiang District. From there we will return home.”

“So, how far is your round trip?”

“About 60 kilometers,” she replied.

While we were chatting, a young man dressed like a professional cyclist came up and gave me a friendly nod. He and the lady were soon on the road again, their colorful clothes flickering behind the mosaic leaves of different trees lining the countryside cycle path on both sides.

These runners and cyclists were among the many nature lovers who came to “attend” the rural fair and café. Looking around, I found many rural hikers walking their dogs or sitting in a tent enjoying tea and oven-boiled yams, as well as various fruits, all provided by the rural cafe.

I entered one of these tents and asked a young man: “Aren’t you cold in such an open tent in this cold weather?”

“Not at all. You can sit back and feel it for yourself!” he said enthusiastically.

I realized that about six people – from two families – had ordered a set of oven-boiled tea and food accessories to be served in an open tent. I sat down and moved closer to the stove where a pot of tea was beginning to boil on a charcoal grill. It was really hot. And a teenager from one of the families couldn’t wait for the official tea party to begin. He had already started picking and tasting hot food off the grill.

“We officially opened our doors about two months ago, and even motorcyclists named us one of their favorite stops,” a young Yes!Coffee employee told me. The cafe is located in the rural fair called Xihong Nongfu Shiji (Tomato Growers’ Fair).

It was beyond my expectations. I knew that Fangxia Village had redeveloped its rural roads and created walking and cycling paths at the end of last year, and the rural fair and cafe were still under construction at the beginning of this year. I had interviewed locals from the neighboring town who came for a leisurely stroll, but I didn’t expect that a rural cafe, located in a rural food court, would become a popular destination for locals and locals alike. sportsmen.

This reminded me of a recent article by a Dutch academic, titled “A Walk Through China’s New Model Countryside,” in the Sixth Tone, an English-language news portal headquartered in Shanghai.

“Walking is an enriching experience, one that can help connect foreigners with locals on a deeper level…Walking is about taking the time to slow down and reflect.” » wrote Harry den Hartog, an urban planner who is also a researcher at TU Delft (Netherlands) and a faculty member at Tongji University (Shanghai).

His article was based on his recent field study in the countryside of neighboring Zhejiang province. Although he believes that Zhejiang’s rural experience may not be copied elsewhere, much of his thinking on rural development can nevertheless be useful to other rural regions.

“Unlike the Dutch countryside, where supermarket chains have killed off small local shops, in Zhejiang, even in the smallest hamlet you can find small local shops or restaurants. Small sports and health care facilities are also available,” he observed.

And it’s sort of similar in many villages in Shanghai. Not only Fangxia, but the neighboring Hemu Village has also become a favorite place for visitors and urban residents due to its bustling small shops, local restaurants and streetside vegetable markets.

On Sunday, after leaving Fangxia village, I went to Hemu village – only to find even more local cafes and teahouses next to vast rice fields. Just as busy as these cafes and teahouses were the street vendors selling various snacks and fresh local vegetables.

I bought two bags of bok choy and three packages of green onions. They were not only much cheaper than those sold on online delivery platforms, but also much fresher and tastier.

It’s not necessary for huge crowds of urban visitors to drive in to breathe life into a rural area. An accessible rural walking route and a well-preserved rural landscape and community would go a long way to achieving the shared prosperity of town and country.

I was so drawn to Fangxia Village’s walking trails and the feeling of distance from the regular crowds that I returned there on Monday. Part of this article was written at the village tomato growers’ fair, where I had a happy meeting with a 3-year-old child under the care of his grandparents.

As dusk approached, they were ready to head home. Seeing that the grandfather was pushing an empty stroller, I asked: “Where is your grandson?”

He pointed to the forest path and said: “He walks with his grandmother and he likes to walk through the forest to his house.