Feng Yangjin, manager of an ecological park in grain-producing Juancheng county in Shandong province, is ambitious of his business expansion amid a local government initiative promoting cross-village resource sharing.
His Fengzhuang Ecological Park, located in Zhengying town, is a beneficiary of the local "cross-village joint construction" mechanism adhering to a principle of "adjacent location, similar resources, and industrial integration."
On Feb 25, Feng said, "Since the government proposed the joint development of multiple villages, there have been more tourists coming to our ecological park, and the surrounding villages have also developed. During this year's Spring Festival holiday, the number of online ticket buyers visiting our park increased by about 30 percent compared to the same period last year."
In order to leverage and expand the radiation of Fengzhuang Ecological Park, Zhengying town has taken the integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism industries as the starting point, aiming to create a "demonstration area for cross-village joint construction of enjoying rural areas."
Feng explained that the "1+5" operation model, establishes a joint Party committee for demonstration areas to organize collaborative construction, resource sharing and problem-solving. This approach guides the economic development of "weak villages" with the support of "strong villages" and integrates the resource advantages of the adjacent areas to achieve overall development.
The Fengzhuang Ecological Park integrates multiple attractions, including amusement, fruit picking, fishing, catering and accommodation, offering tourists an all-inclusive rural experience that combines sightseeing agriculture, entertainment, fruit picking, farm-to-table dining, and enjoying local culture.
Feng noted that the expansion has helped stimulate the overall development of local industries like Hantun greenhouse planting, Wangtun fish pond fishing, Xiwang Yin Yuba manufacturing, and Xiyuzhuang martial arts and lion-dance cultural performances.
"The development of these industries has helped raise our local employment rate and the income of the villagers, largely improving their 'happiness index' and 'satisfaction'," he said.
Deng Zhaopeng, magistrate of Juancheng, which oversees two sub-districts and 15 towns, announced in January that the county plans to increase its regional GDP by some 6.5 percent and elevate the per capita disposable income of all residents by about 7 percent this year.
Please contact the writer at hanjingyan@chinadaily.com.cn
