Chinese poem illustration: 悯农/ Mercy to Peasants by Li Shen
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In the short list of great classic poems for kids, a poem to value food. 民以食为天: food is the heaven for human, that is what food means to Chinese.
Catering with good enough food or struggling through a famine is always two repeating situations through the Chinese history , not only by normal people, basically who are all peasants, but also by the elites and the emperor. For average people, encountering a famine means losing life and family, for the emperor, high chances of losing his power when the country turns upside down.
The poem reflects the deeply rooted spirit among Chinese: cherish food , cherish lives.
悯农二首
李绅
春种一粒粟，
秋收万颗子。
四海无闲田，
农夫犹饿死。
锄禾日当午，
汗滴禾下土。
谁知盘中餐，
粒粒皆辛苦？
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