The 40th Dazeshan Grape Festival will open on Sept 5 in Pingdu, a county-level city of Qingdao, Shandong province, and run through late October, local officials announced at a news conference on Aug 25.

The two-month festival will showcase Dazeshan's grape-growing industry through a range of cultural, tourism and consumption activities, while highlighting the area's rural development.

Dazeshan, located near the 37th parallel north, is known for its favorable growing conditions and is home to more than 300 grape varieties. This year's festival will introduce a citywide tourism pass offering discounts at participating attractions, hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

New facilities, including a grape research center and a cold-chain storage and logistics center, will also be put into operation to strengthen the local grape industry. A white paper reviewing four decades of industry development will be released during the festival.

Visitors can take part in grape tastings, cultural and creative markets, traditional arts and crafts, agricultural product fairs and art exhibitions. Four themed tourism routes will also be launched across Pingdu.

For the first time, parallel festival events will be held at Beijing's Xinfadi agricultural wholesale market and at the Impression Jiaodong cultural tourism area in Pingdu, helping local specialties reach wider markets.

Organizers said the festival aims to turn Dazeshan's grape-growing tradition into stronger tourism appeal and new momentum for rural development.

Participants pose for a photo at a vineyard in Dazeshan, Pingdu, Qingdao, ahead of the 40th Dazeshan Grape Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Clusters of ripe grapes hang from vines at a vineyard in Dazeshan, Pingdu, Qingdao. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A visitor picks grapes at a vineyard in Dazeshan, Pingdu, Qingdao. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]