For centuries farmers in southern China’s Xingang village have raised pigs, helping¹ feed their country’s appetite for almost half the world’s pork.

中国南方新岗村的农民许多世纪以来都在养猪，帮助满足中国人对全世界近一半猪肉的需求。

But in recent years a nationwide drive to reduce water pollution and to steady pork prices has led to the mass closure of pig farms. Swaths of the country, where swineherding is so integral to rural culture that a pig with a roof over its head forms the Chinese character for “home”, have been transformed.

但近年来，一场旨在减少水污染、稳定猪肉价格的全国性整治行动导致猪场大规模关闭。养猪是中国农村文化的基本组成部分，从字面来看，汉字“家”就是“屋顶”下有“猪”。如今，中国的许多地区都已经发生了变化。

Banners in the village square now proudly proclaim Xingang free of pigs. “The entire township is pigless,” says He Lianhong, 42, who lost most of a Rmb200,000 ($30,000) investment when his farm of 200 hogs², Xingang’s largest, was bulldozed last year.

村广场上悬挂的横幅自豪地宣布，新岗村已经是一个“无猪村”了。“整个镇都没有猪了，”42岁的何连宏（音）说。他原来的猪场养了200头生猪，是村里最大的猪场，去年被强制拆除了，20万元人民币（合3万美元）的投资损失了大部分。

Two years ago about half the world’s 800m pigs lived in China — mostly in rural facilities with fewer than 500 hogs. Now, partly as a result of demolitions³, the number is 350m, a reduction authorities hope will curb⁴ pollution.

两年前，全世界养殖的8亿头生猪中，中国占了一半左右——其中大多是在规模少于500头生猪的农村养殖场中。在拆除猪场行动的影响下，中国生猪养殖数现在是3.5亿。当局希望，减少养殖将有助于遏制污染。

Livestock-farming-ban zones covering 636,000 square km – about twice the size of Poland -- have been designated nationwide since 2014, and authorities have shuttered hundreds of thousands of pig and poultry⁵ farms – more than 200,000 in the first half of this year, according to officials.

自2014年以来，中国在全国范围内划定了63.6万平方公里的畜禽养殖禁区，这相当于波兰面积的两倍。当局陆续关闭了数十万个养猪场和禽类养殖场。据官员介绍，仅今年上半年就关闭了逾20万个养殖场。

For years, untreated effluent has sullied rivers, compounded in recent years by outbreaks of disease that have left dead pigs dumped in waterways or buried in mass graves. “Just a couple of years ago there were terrible smells everywhere and nearby water was black, dead pigs were piled on the roads?.?.?.?it was really terrible,” says Mr He.

多年来，未经处理的污水污染了河流，近年来的数次疫病爆发使死猪被丢弃在河道中或被集中填埋，导致问题进一步复杂化。“就在几年前，到处都是恶臭的味道，附近的水都是黑的，死猪被堆在路边……那真的很可怕，”何连宏说。

Demolitions of many of the smallholdings that dominate the market have already had an impact on pork prices, which, because of the vast quantities of the meat consumed in China, play an outsized role in the country’s inflation figures.

占市场主导地位的许多小型猪场被拆除，已经对猪肉价格产生了影响。由于中国的猪肉消费量极大，猪肉价格在中国的通胀数据中占据极其重要的地位。

Pigsty⁶ demolitions drove prices to historic highs of more than Rmb30 ($4.50) per kilogramme last year, says Feng Yonghui, an analyst⁷ at consultancy Soozhu.com.

搜猪网(Soozhu.com)分析师冯永辉表示，拆除猪场导致去年猪肉价格上涨至每公斤逾30元（合4.50美元）的历史高位。

Meanwhile, large agribusinesses have ramped⁹ up production, slaughtering¹⁰ 15m more animals than the previous year. Listed companies invested Rmb41bn in new pig projects last year, mostly in China’s north-east.

同时，大型农业企业扩大了生产，屠宰量比上一年增加1500万头（只）。去年，上市公司在猪相关的新项目上投资了410亿元人民币，其中大多数在中国东北。

Nationwide pork consumption peaked in 2014 when 42m tonnes were consumed, a figure that has fallen closer to 41m as Chinese eating habits shift to more beef and chicken, according to consultancy Euromonitor. But pork spending continues to rise, reaching $850bn last year, as consumers choose higher-quality cuts.

根据欧睿咨询(Euromonitor)的数据，中国的猪肉消费总量在2014年达到顶峰，全年消费猪肉4200万吨，随着中国人的饮食习惯转向更多的牛肉与鸡肉，猪肉消费量已降至4100万吨左右。但由于消费者更多地选择优质猪肉，居民在猪肉上的开支仍在上升，去年达到了8500亿美元。

Many villagers complain about the “pork cycle” — of production cuts that lead to price increases that in turn give farmers the incentive¹¹ to ramp⁸ up production

许多村民都在抱怨“猪周期”——养殖减少导致猪肉价格上涨，反过来又给农民增加养殖的动力。

The booms and busts¹² can destroy farmers’ livelihoods¹⁴.

这种盛衰交替的周期性波动可能会毁掉农民的生计。

“Some have made fortunes from pig-farming and others have been ruined because prices are not stable,” says Li Fuying, a restaurant owner in Xingang.

“有的人靠养猪发了财，还有人因为价格不稳定而倾家荡产，”新岗一家饭馆的老板李福盈（音）说。

Some analysts¹⁵ say that a new “strategic pork reserve” from which stocks are injected into the market when prices rise, together with the launch of a pork futures¹⁶ market and increased pork imports, have helped tame the cycle.

一些分析人士表示，新建立的“战略性猪肉储备”——当价格上涨时，投放储备猪肉到市场上——以及推出猪肉期货市场和扩大猪肉进口，都有助于平抑周期。

“There is still a pig cycle but it is becoming longer and longer. The main reason is the scaling-up of production,” says Mr Feng.

“猪周期依然存在，但这个周期正变得越来越长。主要原因在于生产规模扩大了，”冯永辉说。

That is of little consolation¹⁷ to farmers in the area surrounding Xingang, where villagers showed the Financial Times videos of forcible demolitions of pigsties¹⁸ with the animals still inside. “If you resist, they will send dozens of men, so it’s no use,” says one farmer who asks not to be named.

这对新岗村周边地区的农民没什么用，当地村民向英国《金融时报》(Financial Times)展示了强行拆除尚在养猪的猪圈的视频。一位要求匿名的农民说：“如果你反抗，他们会派来几十个人，所以没用。”

“I have nothing to do all day except feed the ducks. I’m angry but there’s nothing I can do,” says Lai Rongjiao, whose pig-sheds were demolished¹⁹ last year. “It’s the first year for two decades I haven’t raised a single pig,” she adds.

“我整天除了喂鸭子没事干。我生气，但也没办法，”赖蓉娇（音）说，她的猪棚去年被拆除了。“今年是20年来头一回，我一头猪都没养，”她补充道。

What was once the pig-farm of Nie Zhenyong, a 42 -year-old local, has now been concreted over to serve as a practice area for learner-drivers. He has found few customers. “We were encouraged to raise pigs and received subsidies²⁰, so we raised a lot, and then it was all demolished,” Mr Nie says mournfully. “Our family of six, including the elderly, all have no source of income.”

聂振勇（音）是当地一位42岁的农民，他的养猪场现已被浇上混凝土，成了一个练车场。顾客很少。“以前政府鼓励我们养猪，还给我们补助，于是我们养了很多，而现在全拆了，” 聂振勇悲伤地说。“我家有六口人，还有老人，现在都断了收入来源。”

Others risk fines to maintain their traditional livelihood¹³. “The Communist party doesn’t let us raise pigs. But I still have a few hogs in secret,” says Han Chunhuo, who keeps a clandestine²¹ sty near his house. “I’m nearly 50 and there’s no other job I can do”.

有些人冒着被罚款的风险维持着传统生计。“当局不许我们养猪，但我还是偷偷养了几头，”一位村民说，他在自己家附近秘密地保留着一个猪圈。“我快50岁了，干不了别的。”