Festivities took place during the weekend in Bacheng to celebrate the town's farming culture after a rich harvest in Chuodun village and Yuefeng farm.

The Nov 7 celebration started with a rice-harvesting contest at a farm belonging to the Qingcheng project. Participants had to cut and bind rice plants.

Other activities included craftsmanship demonstrations from local farmers, a cooking and tasting session with organic foods provided by Yuefeng farm, and a seed selection event joined by farmers.

All activities took place at Chuodun village, next to the eponymous relic site of a prehistoric human settlement. The Chuodun site dates back 6,000 years and spanned the Majiabang, Songze, Liangzhu and Maqiao Neolithic cultures. Numerous archeological discoveries proved that Chuodun used to have a prosperous farming culture.

The Nov 8 celebration took place at the Fairmont Yangcheng Lake hotel and highlighted organic food from the Yangtze River Delta. Parents and children learned about nature and cooked with chefs from the Fairmont hotel.

The organizers provided barreled water and advised the participants to bring their own cups to keep the two-day celebration environmentally friendly.

The Qingcheng project is a public welfare program supported by Beijing-based Liang Shuming Rural Reconstruction Center. It focuses on wetland environment study and sustainable agriculture in the Yangtze River Delta. With the support of Renmin University of China, the project offers educated young people training and practice opportunities to run modern farms.

Liang Shuming (1893-1988) was a philosopher, teacher, and leader in the Rural Reconstruction Movement before 1949. Liang believed that rural communities were the foundation of Chinese society, and in the 1930s oversaw rural construction practices which were focused on education in rural construction theories and farming knowledge. Cultural education was also an important part in the training program for local public servants. The Liang Shuming Rural Reconstruction Center and its subsidiary – Qingcheng project – carry on with Liang's dedication to rural construction with a focus on modern farming.