MULTIPRONGED APPROACH TO SPUR ECONOMY
Tourism attracts throngs of people, sectors upgraded, environmental projects boost natural assets, and agriculture diversified
Linyi, a vibrant city in southeastern Shandong province, is renowned for its rich history, thriving commerce and trade as well as picturesque landscapes.
As one of the cradles of Chinese civilizations, Linyi has a long history dating back nearly 3,000 years. The city's historic significance is evident in its numerous archaeological sites, ancient relics and cultural heritage.
Modern Linyi is a dynamic metropolis that boasts a robust economy, advanced infrastructure, strong industries and gigantic wholesale markets, drawing buyers from around the world.
In addition to its historical and cultural attractions, Linyi is blessed with stunning natural landscapes like the Mengshan Mountain and Yihe River, making it a destination worth an in-depth tour.
According to the Linyi culture and tourism bureau, the city now has 147 national A-level tourist spots, 62 museums and memorials, and six national intangible cultural heritage items, including Linshu wicker weaving and Liuqin Opera performance.
During this year's May Day holiday, Langya Ancient City, a 3A-level scenic area that opened in February 2024, became popular among tourists. Even in the evening, the ancient city is brightly lit, bustling with throngs of visitors wearing hanfu, or traditional Chinese clothing.
Official data showed that it received 300,000 visits from May 1-5, 79 percent of whom came from outside Linyi.
The scenic area, covering 43 hectares, recreates the heyday of Langya State — the predecessor of Linyi in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220). Recreating ancient architecture and featuring exquisite facilities and advanced interactive technologies, it offers tourists a novel, immersive experience.
A highlight of the ancient city is a five-act performance titled Guoxiu Langya, which depicts Linyi's history over thousands of years.
In the fourth chapter of the show, performers bring to life Linyi's renowned historical figures, including Wang Xizhi, a master calligrapher from the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), Zhuge Liang, a renowned premier and strategist of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) and the mathematician Liu Hong from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), who is revered as China's "sage of calculation".
After watching the performance, many tourists said they had a better understanding of Linyi.
"This show, leveraging beautiful stage designs, modern digital technologies, and captivating storytelling, presented vivid scenes of the city's history and culture," said a tourist surnamed Liu from Jiangsu province.
"It's a brilliant performance. I'd like to watch it again with my children," Liu added.
The ancient city stages nearly 100 performances every day, including magic, intangible cultural heritage, and water shows. Additionally, there are diverse Langya-themed entertainment facilities, local specialties, and cultural and creative products.
Langya Ancient City is one of the key tourist attractions developed in recent years, showcasing Linyi's commitment to the integration of tourism and culture.
Following this principle, Mengshan Guimeng scenic area has held cultural activities regularly based on traditional festivals and designed sightseeing routes.
Zhang Baoliang, Party secretary of Linyi, said that the city has been promoting the high-quality upgrade of its cultural and tourism industries since 2024, integrating innovative products and consumer services, and developing immersive culture-tourism programs. By leveraging the "culture plus technology" model to empower the tourism market, Linyi's cultural and tourism sector has demonstrated unprecedented vibrancy and resilience.
Linyi's tourism revenue soared to 87 billion yuan ($12.12 billion) in 2024, with 93.57 million tourist visits.
Zhang proposed making full use of tourism resources by introducing more high-quality projects, innovative attractions and premium travel routes, and building Linyi into a top destination for wellness, tourism and living.
This year, city authorities will implement three major tourism initiatives; "lighting up the Yihe River", "revitalizing Mengshan Mountain", and "advancing all-region tourism".
According to the city's tourism action plan (2024-26), it aims to receive 108 million visits in 2026, with an annual tourism revenue of 109 billion yuan, and establish tourism as one of the city's pillar industries.
Flourishing industries
Dubbed China's plank capital, Linyi was home to 1,539 timber enterprises above designated size in 2024 — those with annual revenue of at least 20 million yuan. It has built a complete industry chain, ranging from lumbering and wood processing to timber trade and custom furniture.
Against the backdrop of industrial upgrade, city authorities are pushing forward the industry's transition toward smart manufacturing and green home furnishings, while fostering technological innovation in partnership with universities and research institutes.
Linyi's timber industry will focus on building fl agship supply chains to expand its modern green furnishing cluster, said Zhou Maoyong, director of the Linyi forestry bureau.
"We will continue to advance the integrated development of furniture, interior design and home appliances, and strengthen the industry chains of eco-friendly panels, smart home products, hardware and woodworking machinery," Zhou said.
Beyond traditional sectors, Linyi has made remarkable strides in emerging industries, particularly solar energy, hydrogen energy, and new energy commercial vehicles.
Aspiring to become China's new city of solar power, Linyi has attracted 27 solar and energy storage companies, including Guo Hua Jin Tai, WeView Energy Storage Technology, and Yaoling Times. Three industrial parks are under construction in Hedong and Lanshan districts and Lanling county.
Guo Hua Jin Tai's photovoltaic new materials project, which started operations in August, had produced 32 million square meters of photovoltaic glass by mid-March, generating an output value of 360 million yuan and creating jobs for 1,800 people.
With a total investment of 7.8 billion yuan, the project plans to construct four photovoltaic glass furnaces, each with a daily melting capacity of 1,200 metric tons; 20 glass-processing production lines; two high-purity silicon-based-material production lines; as well as large-scale natural gas facilities, according to the local government.
In collaboration with Tongji University, Linyi has formulated a development plan and policies for the hydrogen energy industry. It has set up one hydrogen refueling station with nine more planned, deployed nearly 100 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and opened the Linyi-Qingdao hydrogen-powered logistics route.
Several major hydrogen projects have been launched in the city, including an integrated hydrogen demonstration project of Energy China, and the hydrogen-based energy development project of Linyi Steel Investment New Energy, which is expected to produce 200 million cubic meters of hydrogen and 70,000 tons of liquid natural gas annually.
Other robust industries in Linyi include high-end equipment manufacturing, healthy food, biomedicine, drone logistics, and metallurgy.
Beautiful environment
Linyi has long been known as a water town, with 1,800 lucid rivers, lush mountains and fresh air. Behind it is a sustained effort to restore the ecosystem, control pollution, and accelerate green, low-carbon transformation.
In 2021, the city launched a large integrated protection and restoration project, targeting mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts across its 10 counties and districts. Environmental officials emphasize that they have adopted a systematic approach in this project, rather than just addressing separate problems.
Taking the Yihe River as a main line, the project tailored solutions for different zones. Upper reaches focused on pollution source control and expanding vegetation coverage, middle reaches prevented soil erosion, and lower reaches conducted water purification and channel remediation to meet quality standards.
The village of Wangshanyu planted 200,000 mixed coniferous and deciduous trees with fish-scale pits, which help reduce runoff and slow down erosion.
"In the past, our village would be filled with dust and sand whenever strong winds blew," said Zhang Changmian, director of the village's forest station. "Now, we can even see traces of wild rabbits nibbling under juniper trees, indicating our environment is getting better," he said.
Hedong district diverted water from Yihe River to irrigate lowlands and created more than 30 hectares of paddy fields. Meanwhile, Xigaozhuang village used ecological materials instead of cement and timber to transform terraces and conserve water.
These innovative practices, based on specific conditions, have created a virtuous cycle among forests, fields, water and mountains, local officials said. By 2023, the project had restored and protected areas of 4,400 square kilometers, surpassing its goals.
Linyi has also been committed to building a "zero-waste city" in recent years. It has established 165 "zero-waste cells", which refer to units of production and living that tackle solid waste through recycling resources and other procedures.
The city's comprehensive air quality index stood at 4.28 in 2024, ranking first among non-coastal cities in Shandong province.
Rural vitalization
Walking into Beihuangjiazhuang village in Zhuge township, Yishui county, visitors are impressed by the wide roads, neat rural homestays, as well as picturesque lakeside scenery.
Yet just a few years ago, it was an underdeveloped village plagued by old infrastructure and poverty.
The transformation began with the "Moshang Huakai" rural vitalization demonstration zone, an initiative launched by Zhuge township.
To address resource shortages and diversifying local industry, Xu Wenfeng, the village's first Party secretary who was dispatched from the Shandong Tobacco Monopoly Administration, led residents in planting cigar tobacco.
Meanwhile, idle residential land was renovated to create a 660-square-meter "golden leaves shared prosperity workspace" that develops businesses such as tobacco hemp sheet repairs and soybean processing.
"Previously, villagers struggled to make ends meet through farming. Now, they are employed at the cigar eco-park from April to October and shift to the workspace during winter months," Xu said, adding that this ensures a stable income for them all year round.
The village cultivated 20 hectares of cigar tobacco, generating an output value of 2.8 million yuan and contributing more than 150,000 yuan to the village's collective revenue in 2024. Additionally, villagers have built seven rural homestays for tourists to experience cigar production. These are expected to bring earnings of 170,000 yuan to the village collective.
Encouraged by the Zhuge township government, other villages are making efforts to develop distinctive industries and learn from each other to drive common prosperity.
Shanghutongyu village has seen more residents live a better life through planting yellow peaches, while Gezhuang village has emerged as a popular destination for rural tourism.
Utilizing its natural beauty and agricultural resources, the township has established several scenic areas, attracting more than 100,000 tourist visits annually and raising per capita income by 11,000 yuan.
As of now, Linyi has built 26 provincial rural vitalization demonstration zones and 167 municipal demonstration zones, covering 1,216 villages. In 2024, the city achieved a total output value of 97.17 billion yuan in agriculture, forestry, livestock and fishery, with a year-on-year increase of 6.6 percent in the per capita disposable income of rural residents.
zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn
