Moving beyond this subsistence, mechanising is a more challenging task as technological and communication advances change the structure of the economy.
It is often said that generals prepare to fight the last war, even when equipped with more modern tools. The same is true of many businesses, which are slow to recognise, let alone seize upon, shifts in the economic structures of their export markets.
This is particularly the case in China, where new market ideas are emerging and where traditional marketing and market penetration methods are less effective. There will always be room for the basic lower-level market activity, which hasn’t changed a great deal in hundreds of years. These activities are captured on the 5.2m long Song dynasty scroll, Along the River During the Qingming Festival.
