Qingdao has pioneered a new model for rural vitalization by breaking down administrative barriers between villages and creating multi-village clusters. Drawing on and improving the experience of the rural vitalization project, the city is forging a distinctive path that blends local character, Qingdao's charm, and Shandong culture.

Today, distinct cluster models are flourishing across Qingdao. Examples include the Yangjiashanli cluster integrating agriculture, culture, and tourism; the Liuqingwan cluster focusing on high-end boutique homestays; and the Daze cluster driven by specialized agriculture. These approaches are driving industrial upgrading and transforming rural landscapes, bringing long-overlooked villages to the forefront and reshaping their value.

Qingdao's rural areas, representative of northern China, feature various types of villages — plain, mountainous, suburban, and urban — with an average size of 200 to 300 households and relatively dense layouts.

In 2022, Qingdao became the first in China to propose the rural vitalization cluster concept. By pairing stronger villages with weaker ones and larger villages with smaller ones, it promotes regional synergy and industrial linkages, truly achieving shared prosperity. Each cluster focuses on one or two leading industries, optimizing resource allocation through collective action and coordinating the five aspects: industry, talent, culture, ecology, and organization, to shift from isolated successes to area-wide prosperity.

Leveraging its cherry-growing tradition, the Yangjiashanli cluster has developed a 5,000-mu (about 333.33 hectares) cherry industry and 24 specialized agricultural parks for tea and blueberries. By linking agricultural and tourism offerings, it offers year-round attractions — spring cherry blossoms, summer flower fields, autumn fruit picking, and winter snowscapes — boosting the average village collective income to more than 500,000 yuan ($70,735) and per capita income to 39,000 yuan.

Through cluster-based development, Qingdao is accelerating its journey toward comprehensive rural vitalization.

Qingdao pioneers a new model for rural vitalization by breaking down administrative barriers between villages and creating multi-village clusters. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]