The industrial revolution starting in Britain as opposed to China is almost certainly completely unrelated to farming methods, and much more related to politics

The industrial revolution starting in Britain as opposed to China is almost certainly completely unrelated to farming methods, and much more related to politics. China during the industrial revolution was in the grip of a very weak, corrupt, and financially mismanaged dynasty. This set the stage for the Opium Wars and continued decline for the next 200 years, a period which has only recently ended. Prior to that, China was one of the most advanced civilisations in the world for most of its history. Also note that the staple food of most of Northern China (including Xian, Beijing, and huge amounts of the population) is and has historically been, wheat based.