Shandong county empowers rural vitalization through promoting traditional culture

Xuzhuang lantern making boosts villagers' income in Dong'e county, Liaocheng, Shandong province. [Photo by Hou Changming/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Dong'e county, Liaocheng, Shandong province, is driving rural vitalization by accelerating the integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism through promoting and passing down its heritage of historical, agricultural, and folk cultures.

At a textile cultural exhibition hall in Ganliuxin village, Niujiaodian town, over 200 antique weaving tools, hand tools, and daily necessities depict the evolution of rural handicrafts and evoke a strong sense of nostalgia among visitors.

A tofu workshop in Guokou village, Daqiao town, immerses tourists in the charm of traditional culture through tofu tasting, tofu-making demonstrations, and block printing experiences.

Moreover, Dong'e is leveraging intangible cultural heritage to boost rural development, with traditional crafts such as Dong'e ejiao (donkey-hide gelatin), Dong'e acrobatics, Yuwo Yellow River yangko dance, and Chizhuang woodblock New Year prints thriving in both urban and rural areas.

For Xuzhuang lanterns, Dong'e has established workshops and exhibition halls in Xuzhuang village that employ professional design teams for technical guidance in order to achieve industrial-scale lantern weaving. Today, lantern making in Xuzhuang village generates an additional income of about 15,000 yuan ($2,060) per household annually, creating jobs for over 120 local residents. (Edited by Li Weiwei)