Wang Lei, director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, spoke about the province's cultural construction in rural areas at a news conference on June 17.

Wang Lei, director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism [Photo/ql1d.com]

Wang said that the province has built thousands of practice stations and centers to promote civilization and modern life philosophies as well as improve the living environment in the countryside.

The province has also set up 22,000 Confucian lecture halls in rural areas to carry forward fine traditional culture.

People visit a civilization practice center in Licang district, Qingdao. [Photo/ql1d.com]

Guided by the idea that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", Shandong has combined the promotion of rural culture with the development of rural tourism.

Wang said that the province has fully exploited rural characteristic resources to boost the construction of a beautiful countryside.

The province has cultivated a number of high-quality rural tourism scenic spots and launched tourism routes with themes such as rural sightseeing, study tours, flower admiring and fruit picking.

A rural tourism spot in Lanling county, Shandong province [Photo/ql1d.com]

According to Wang, Shandong has also focused on enriching the spiritual and cultural lives of rural residents. Thousands of cultural performances and activities have been staged in the rural areas of Shandong over the years.

In recent years, Shandong has been ramping up its efforts to protect and utilize fine traditional cultural resources. Ancient sites, rural dwellings and traditional villages have been designated as cultural relics and afforded protection. Since 2018, the provincial government has invested 270 million yuan ($38.16 million) in 215 protection projects.

The province has also taken measures to revitalize traditional handicrafts and boost related industry development. For example, it has built 71 national and provincial demonstration bases and workshops for intangible cultural heritage items such as wood carving, paper cutting and embroidery, in turn generating 230,000 jobs for villagers.

Xinhe town in Pingdu city has become the largest straw weaving handicraft processing and export base in northern China, employing more than 20,000 people and helping lift locals out of poverty.

Gaoyu village of Junan county boasts the country's largest comb production base, with 80 percent of local farmers engaged in the business.

Traditional wooden combs that are produced in Gaoyu village [Photo/ql1d.com]

Wang said that Shandong will continue to build a more civilized countryside as well as integrate rural development with cultural industries.