'Gold capital' boosts residents' income through industries

Under the prefecture-level city of Yantai in East China's Shandong province, the county-level coastal city of Zhaoyuan is known for its abundant gold reserves and is dubbed a "gold capital" in the country.

Ranking No 1 among the country's county-level cities for proven gold reserves, Zhaoyuan's gold resources are spread all over its region, with distributions concentrated in its northeastern, northwestern and southwestern areas.

There are over 1,000 gold veins available for mining alone in an area of more than 60 kilometers, ranging from Fushan Mountain, Linglong Mountain and Luoshan Mountain to Jinhua Mountain, making the city's 542,120-odd residents rich with a higher income, said Wang Xin, a local resident.

The city's GDP hit 86.845 billion yuan ($12.1 billion) by the end of 2023, a rise of 7.3 percent year-on-year, he said, adding that with the high income for residents, Zhaoyuan is trying to make them richer through other innovative means — boosting integrated industries.

The city's traditional tourism resources are endowed with four special features — special "gold" culture, hot springs, mountain fresh air and seaside tours, Wang said, noting that it is now expanding the spheres.

In East Lijiazhuangzi village of Fushan town, cherry blossoms are in full bloom in a land area covering over 6.7 hectares, making the village into a picturesque landscape, dotted with rolling hillside and a sea of snow-white cherry blossoms.

Tourists swarmed to the village for tours. Wen Zhongbo, a visitor, said: "When you walk into the village, the first thing you notice is its rows of neat and beautiful villas. The cherry flowers on both sides of the zigzag mountain road are full of vitality, and with its cultural square equipped with complete infrastructure, the village is really a romantic picture."