"They [the travelers] can have lunch at my restaurant when they are hungry and can take a nap when they are tired," said Yu, adding that many other villagers are doing the same business.

In 2005, the net income brought about by the restaurant and his original one-quarter hectare land reached 50,000 yuan, doubling that of any previous year. Last year, Yu and his family's income soared to 100,000 yuan. "My restaurant is growing 40-50 percent each year," Yu said confidently.

In 2005, the Central Government ordered the removal of agricultural tax upon farmers and Yu benefited.

"For my one quarter hectare land, the agricultural tax was 500 yuan," Yu told Beijing Review. "Though it is not a big sum of money, it shows that our government starts to pay attention to us and we are very much encouraged."

In eastern coastal provinces, farmers are not only exempt from agricultural tax, but can also get a farming subsidy. In Fujiabian, farmers can get 750 yuan for one hectare.

The emerging prosperity of Fujiabian, bolstered by government support, has even begun to cause a chasm in fortune within the same young generation.

"My older daughter was not as lucky as my younger daughter," Yu sighed. When his family was poor, they could not afford two daughters both going to school. So Yu Juan, the older daughter, quit after finishing junior high school studies.

"You can't always imagine what will happen in two years," said Yu. In 2005, in an effort to build a socialist countryside, the government called off incidental fees for education to ease the burden for farmers.

"That is exactly the time when we started to make more money," Yu said. " So my younger daughter enjoys everything----the family is making money, and the school no longer asks for incidental fees."

Yu continued: "At present, we have everything that a city family has----ADSL, computers, air-conditioning, refrigeration, DVD players, and so on."

Yu said in the past he was very attracted to city life.

"But now, the city is much more polluted by all kinds of toxic stuff and we can still enjoy fresh air and quietness in the countryside," he said.

Lacking proper insurance

When asked about the countryside's medical and social insurance, Yu said every year, each farmer must pay 10 yuan to the village committee and will receive reimbursement if they fall ill.

"I don't remember exactly how much reimbursement we can get, because all of my family members are healthy and we needn't be hospitalized," said Yu. "The reimbursement ratio is different from year to year as the policy becomes more and more favorable towards farmers."

This became a common practice in villages in Jiangsu Province about two years ago.

In Chengjiao Village, 16 kilometers away from Fujiabian, some farmers have already enjoyed the benefit of a rural medical insurance system.

Before villager Liu Laifa's wife died of cancer in 2004, the whole family spent over 40,000 yuan for the medical treatment. One quarter of the medical expenses was covered by the village committee the next year.

"Although the amount of money was not big, it was still better than nothing," said Liu Laifa, adding "the reimbursement would be unimaginable before 2003."

However, as Yu Lasheng contended, the rural medical insurance system still falls far short of that in urban areas.

"I heard that in cities almost each medical expense can be reimbursed," Yu argued, "Why can't ours?"

Yu doesn't totally rely on the local government for medical treatment.

"When I am still capable, I will strive to make as much money as possible in case my family get ill in the future," he said. Yu still believes family support, for the time being, is the most trustworthy way for medical expenses.

Huge gap between east and west