Unmanned machines boost China's rice production

An unmanned plowing machine powered by 5G technology roared to life as it prepares a small pocket of paddy field.

A humming drone, lifting off into the air, sprinkles a mist of fertilizer and pesticide over maturing rice crops, to the wow of a group of visiting fifth-graders from a nearby school.

Sensors embedded on the periphery of fields collect in real time a range of data such as soil moisture, disease occurrence and pH value.

These were scenes that unfolded on a recent workday in Cailu village, a futuristic rural community in the hilly Zhejiang province.