Pigs in the farm are raised without the use of antibiotics, thereby easing consumers' worries about chemical residues in pork. [Photo / China Daily]

But there are also risks, as many of these projects often find it difficult to make profits.

Buoyed by the buzz generated by the online game, several real-life "Happy Farms" have sprung up in many major Chinese cities. The annual rental for a plot of land is anywhere between 100 yuan and 1,000 yuan depending on the region.

A similar concept, nongjiale, which literally means farmers' happiness, even has a longer history. They are places where farmers rent out rooms in their homes and make traditional rural dishes for urban tourists.

Huashang Daily, a major newspaper in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, reported this year that about 80 percent of the real-life farms in Xi'an suffered losses because of the lack of a universal industry standard and the lagging delivery services that dampen the passion of those adopting the land.

But Chen has his own method to perceive the enormous cost, as the pork from pigs raised in an ecological environment fetches twice the price in the market.

"We are targeting the high-end market, and are like the 'abalone' in the pork industry," he says.

Chen's farm has been dismissed by critics as an overly expensive "paradise for pigs" and invited criticism from some circles that public money was being wasted on such projects.

"Every penny is carefully accounted for and the pigsties are just simple and practical dwellings," he says. "The investment in the whole project is our sweat money, and why should we waste it?"

Hu Juchun, director of the Suining county agricultural committee, says that Chen's cottages are designed to provide a friendly environment to keep the pigs in a good mood, which helps improve the quality of the meat.

"These are not villas. They're model-breeding zones, and part of a project to develop breeding techniques for organic pigs. Locals call these homes a paradise for pigs," he says.

Contact the writer at wangzhenghua@chinadaily.com.cn