Zaozhuang town shows successful rural development model

Fengmao town in Zaozhuang, Shandong province is home to many hills and mountains. YanMa Lake, Zaozhuang's largest reservoir covers the town's heartland, forming a unique landscape of hills and waters. 

In recent years the town has been implementing the rural revitalization strategy to improve the livelihood of local villagers, conserve natural resources, and boost the local economy.

New roads and bridges have been constructed, shabby rural dwellings have gone through reconstruction, and the mountain districts have been afforested, greatly improving the infrastructure in the rural area and facilitating the development of local agricultural tourism.

Wenzhuang, a village in the town, is located beside YanMa Lake. It is endowed with a favorable ecological environment to plant peach trees. 

However, most of the cultivated trees were low-yield and could not fetch much on the market.

In an effort to ramp up production and develop modern agriculture, the village has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).

Experts from CAAS regularly give lectures and on-site instructions about fruit tree planting techniques and other matters that require attention.

With CAAS's technical support and efforts of the village committee, a greenhouse orchard covering 35 mu (about 2.33 hectares) has been built by a local cooperative.

"Peaches planted in the greenhouse come to market 15 days earlier than those in the open air and they have much more flavor, becoming more popular among customers," said Liu Detan, the village's Party secretary.

The cooperative also works with CAAS to help local fish farmers to increase their income.

As mid-summer approaches, cherries and peaches are ripe in Fengmao town, and villagers are busy selling the fruits via e-commerce platforms. Fruit-picking festivals are also underway to lure more visitors to the countryside.

"We develop the fruit industry based on our natural advantages and boost local villagers' incomes through modern marketing tools, e-commerce platforms, and rural tourism," said Tian Kun, Party secretary of Fengmao town.

An aerial photo shows the picturesque landscape of Wenzhuang village in Fengmao town of Zaozhuang, Shandong province. [Photo by Liu Detan/Xinhua]

Rays of the setting sun shine down on YanMa Lake, Zaozhuang's largest reservoir in Fengmao town. [Photo by Xiang Qituan/Xinhua]

An aerial photo shows the marvelous landscape of Fengmao town in late March when peach blossoms covers the hills and mountains. [Photo by Jiang Yushu/Xinhua]