Shizikou village destiny takes a different turn after it jumped on the bandwagon of rural tourism. [Photo/WeChat account: sw-e23]

Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province has achieved significant progress in its rural revitalization efforts through the development of its agricultural industries.

For example, Shizikou, a poverty-stricken village in the southern mountainous area of Jinan, has paved its way to prosperity by developing its homestay and rural tourism industries.

The village has a cluster of well-preserved rock houses which were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). These houses are situated in the foothills of the Great Wall of Qi which was built during Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

The natural beauty of the areas has attracted homestay companies which have helped improve the village's infrastructure with the support of the government.

The booming rural tourism industry has improved the income levels of local villagers, with the collective village income now exceeding 300,000 yuan ($46,989.53).

In addition, the development of internet platforms has bolstered the sales of rural products in Nanqiu village.

The village boasts rich natural resources and has been developing its sheet jelly and tea processing industries. But due to a lack of marketing effort, sales of these products were dismal.

To address this problem, three platforms were launched in 2020 to help promote local products. The e-commerce platform is geared toward livestream promotions of products such as peaches, cherries and apples.

Another platform is focused on promoting sheet jelly and tea products while the third platform specializes in developing ecological resources and promoting ecological tourism.

Official data shows that the city's per capita disposable income of rural residents surpassed 20,000 yuan in 2020. A total of 1,006 poverty-stricken villages were lifted out of poverty, and the output of grain exceeded 2.9 billion kilograms.

The living environment in villages has also improved. Jinan has developed 105 model villages for rural revitalization, 20 demonstration roads and 284 beautiful rural demonstration villages.

The city has set goals for future development. The per capita disposable income of rural residents is expected to increase by 9 percent in 2021.

In addition, it will foster 10 industrial clusters – each valued at 10 billion yuan – that are related to the rural tourism, modern grain and oil, and modern planting industries, as well as establish the headquarters of agro-related enterprises at home and abroad. The city is expected to be home to 100 provincial-level leading agricultural enterprises by 2025.