County in Shandong thrives with pancake workshop

Things really hotted up when Gaohu village, located in Linshu county in East China's Shandong province, earlier this year launched a pancake workshop designed to increase its collective income.

The village invested in four pancake machines – capable of producing 1,000 kilograms of pancakes daily – creating 15 jobs for low-income residents, including those in public welfare roles and households on subsistence allowances.

The pancakes are being sold through retail outlets, supermarkets and in  direct supply to restaurants. Online, the village has partnered with the county's supply and marketing cooperative, using livestreaming to boost sales.

Its trained eight Party members to be "livestream farmers" – opening new online sales channels that generate an additional 150,000 yuan ($21,060) in estimated annual income for the village.

Gaohu has also introduced a points-based system to promote civility among residents. Activities such as cleaning the environment, fostering good neighbor relations, caring for the elderly and upholding positive social customs are rewarded with points.

Villagers can redeem these points for pancakes – encouraging a spirit of community, strong family values and positive social practices.

"Village development relies on strong industries,"said Gao Quanhui, Party secretary of Gaohu village.

"We'll continue exploring projects like a supermarket and a senior citizen's canteen to boost the village's assets and improve the lives of our residents," Gao added. (Edited by Zhang Ying)

In Gaohu village's pancake workshop, the machine automatically produce the pancakes with precision. [Photo by Wu Shuhao/for chinadaily.com.cn]