Region ramps up rural vitalization initiatives

In recent years, Qingdao in Shandong province has intensified its efforts to boost rural vitalization and construct a leading area for rural industries through reform and innovation.

To ensure stable and increased grain production, the city has issued 19 supporting measures to promote the construction of the demonstration areas for green food production and established seven demonstration areas each covering 666.67 hectares.

Qingdao is enhancing the integrated development of farmland, seeds, good laws, machinery and good practices.

Another initiative is to build demonstration areas for rural vitalization by implementing high-quality agricultural projects, which is a concrete path for Qingdao to create a typical model for overall development.

"Over the next two years, the city will start construction of 80 agricultural projects with a total investment over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion)," said Yuan Ruixian, director of the Qingdao agriculture and rural affairs bureau.

Among them, the Yihai Kerry (Qingdao) Foodstuffs Industrial Park, with a total investment of $1.8 billion and covering an area of 119.33 hectares, is the largest foreign-funded project in Qingdao since the launch of reform and opening-up, while the SCO International Green Agricultural Products Expo Center, with a total investment of 10 billion yuan and covering an area of 66.67 hectares, will be built into a national green spice trading market.

To stimulate industrial vitality and promote livable and suitable rural development, Qingdao has accelerated the modernization of agriculture, deepened rural reforms, and improved the farmers' livelihoods.

Villages in Yunsan town, Pingdu city, held various activities for the elderly during this year's Dragon Boat Festival. Volunteers presented homemade zongzi, sticky rice dumplings, to senior citizens, offered them haircuts and shared warm deeds to promote the culture of respecting, loving, honoring and being filial to the elderly.

Qingdao has achieved full coverage of the construction of New Era Civilization Practice Centers and constructed more than 4,000 bases, family stations and characteristic sites.

At the same time, efforts have been made in providing warmhearted volunteer services. Since 2022, more than 36,000 activities have been carried out, benefiting more than 1.7 million people and helping them solve about 121,000 problems.

In practicing core socialist values, Qingdao insists on satisfying cultural needs and enhancing spiritual strength.

It has implemented cultural projects that benefit the people, carried out the Three Visits to the Countryside activities in culture, healthcare and sci-tech, trained more than 12,000 talents and supported more than 8,000 activity teams.