Mr. Li and other Chinese scholars and labor experts say workers from earlier generations, who hailed mainly from poor farms in China's hinterland, were accustomed to hard farm work and more single-mindedly focused on making money.

WSJ: Apple, H-P Investigating Foxconn's Steps to Deal With Suicides

The FDA's just-announced import ban on some farm-raised seafood from China, based on its concerns about chemical residues, attracted bad press for Asia's export powerhouse and was more bad news for the worldwide fisheries industry.

FORBES: Magazine Article

During China's 30 years of economic growth, hundreds of millions of factory and urban jobs soaked up surplus rural farm labor.

WSJ: China's Rising Wages Propel Prices

When you buy a T-shirt that says "made in China, " there's a pretty good chance it's made of cotton that was grown on a farm somewhere in the United States.

NPR: After 200 Years, U.S. Remains King of Cotton