Meet Patrick, a Swedish farmer who swapped Stockholm's snowy fields for the valleys of Dali, China. In early 2025, Patrick Bachstatter settled at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, leasing a patch of land to practice no-till natural farming 🌱. No plowing means letting the soil rest, boosting nutrients and cutting back on machinery.
At first, locals saw him as an oddball — a foreigner turning over soil without a tractor. But with hard work and genuine curiosity, he's won hearts. He's now a regular at street stalls, sipping Pu'er tea and slurping Yunnan rice noodles with new friends. Markets in Dali soon buzzed about his fresh veggies, and neighbors started calling him by his Chinese nickname, 巴赫 (Bahe) with a wink.
This year, Patrick hit a new milestone: he received China's Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card 🎉. He says the card made him feel like part of the community. With his ID in hand, he and his dad set off on a 4,500-kilometer road trip 🚗 across China, from Yunnan's misty mountains to the sandy dunes of Inner Mongolia. Every stop brought stories of kindness — shared meals, roadside chats and festival invitations.
Now, back in Dali, Patrick watches his daughter chase butterflies in fields he once plowed by hand. He's certain: life gets better year by year. China isn't just a workplace — it's home, and the perfect place for his family to grow 🌏❤️.
Reference(s):
Stories in 2025: Planting roots in China — A Swedish farmer's journey
cgtn.com
