China has a contemporary Great Wall. It lies between the industrial mega-cities and the rural poor. It lies between families living in their communities, and the young people who must leave for limited jobs in factories far away. The living conditions in both parts of China can be overwhelming.

I came here last March, as one of nine 'youth ambassadors', funded by Australia's Agency for International Development (AusAID) to promote cultural exchange and assist sustainable development projects. Each year 240 Australians aged between 20 and 30 make their way to countries in the Asia-Pacific region, sponsored by this programme. As you read this, in December, I am about to return home.

Like most other participants in the programme, I had not worked in the majority world before. I have been working in a $16-million five-year Water and Agriculture Management Project funded by AusAID in Hebei Province, on China's north central plain.

We focus on helping farmers to assess their community's natural resources for themselves and empower each other to manage their scare groundwater resources wisely. We assist in closing the information gap between technicians and farmers. We also offer training in how to manage water resources in an integrated and environmentally-sound way.

WORLD'S FACTORY

Whilst studying for my Masters in Environmental and Urban Planning, I've had time to reflect on the challenges facing this huge country, with its high population and scarcity of resources. New cities bloom like flowers, but require vast amounts of water and other resources to grow. This raises questions about the sustainability of China's growth, and the environment in which future generations will live.

China's massive labour pool makes it likely to remain the world's great factory for years to come--with major social and environmental consequences. I am based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, one of the most polluted cities in the world, alongside Mexico City, Bangkok and Calcutta. The lung cancer rate in China's cities is seven times higher than the national average.

The environmental problems in the rural areas are equally devastating. The central government regularly sets annual growth targets of nine per cent GDP, but these do not take ecological factors into account.

POVERTY COUNTIES