SLOW & STEADY

Cittaslow has discovered China, and it is awarding a little village in Jiangsu the title of "slow city". Shi Yingying looks at the rewards and possible repercussions.

The bored teenagers of Gaochun are impatient with the leisurely pace of hometown life. For them there is no nightlife to speak of, no bright lights, no excitement and they cannot wait to grow up and leave for the urban attractions of the big cities. But it is this laid-back lifestyle that has attracted international attention. At least, a quiet village within Gaochun county has come under the spotlight. Yaxi village, population 20,000, is about to be designated China's first "slow city?by Cittaslow, the sustainable lifestyle movement that first surfaced in Italy 11 years ago. Yaxi's nearest "sister city?in the Asia-Pacific will be Matakana, a little town in New Zealand's North Island where organic practices are a part of everyday life ?from the farmer's market to its vineyards, from its neighborhood caf?to its seafood restaurant.

At home, the residents at Yaxi are unfazed and pretty much unimpressed by the honor. To them, life has been like this for as long as they can remember.