Shandong villages turn wasteland into wonderland

People relax in a leisure corridor in a village in Zuoying town. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

What was once a barren and desolate woodland has become a refreshing oasis for the rural residents. This is the outcome of rural vitalization in Changzhuang village, Zuoying town, Juancheng county, in East China's Shandong province.

The woodland has been transformed into Yixin Garden, a leisure park with shady paths, stone tables, swings, and benches. The village has also created a unique "conference pavilion" on a piece of idle land that allows villagers to interact with one another.

These are some of the many achievements of rural vitalization in Zuoying town. The town has transformed more than 20 of its villages, turning idle forests into leisure parks like Yixin Garden, upgrading activity squares, and converting idle lands into recreational spaces.

Villagers have also painted colorful wall murals on central streets. Gezhuang village, for instance, has built a "street of legal culture" by beautifying the walls and guiding villagers to establish legal concepts and new social norms.

"We also collected old rural objects such as millstones, blue bricks, and old tiles to build walls and scenes in the village. This creates a strong nostalgia," said Xu Changzhan, an official of Zuoying town.

One by one, the villages in Zuoyiong town have been changed from "wasteland" to "wonderland", injecting new vitality into rural construction in Shandong. (Edited by Fan Yuanyuan)