Explore cultural vibrancy in Shandong's Juye county

To enrich the cultural lives of the surrounding communities, Jiayuan community focuses on showing its unique cultural heritage through events like the Yellow River Grand Fair featuring intangible cultural creativity. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

During the ongoing 2025 Heze Peony Culture Festival, Jiayuan community in Juye county, Shandong province, launched a series of special events related to peonies. Various products incorporating peony elements, such as meticulous peony paintings, peony paper-cuttings, peony folding fans, and peony-shaped bread, were created on-site. Residents joyfully exchanged their creations, their faces illuminated with smiles of contentment.

"To enrich the cultural lives of the surrounding communities, Jiayuan community focuses on showing its unique cultural heritage through events like the Yellow River Grand Fair featuring intangible cultural creativity. Over 800 distinctive activities are held annually, attracting more than 20,000 participants,” said Song Congxi, Party secretary of the community.

Song added that 18 public welfare alliances have been established, including training institutions and caring businesses. These alliances have formed over 40 artistic teams specializing in choir singing, dancing, handicrafts, and more.

"Weekly public interest classes cover a wide range of subjects such as pottery, fine arts, and handicrafts, benefiting over 13,000 residents," Sun added.

In recent years, Juye county has worked to optimize livable environments and continuously improve people's sense of happiness. The county has constructed 24 cultural community complexes spanning 5,000 to 10,000 square meters.

Equipped with community canteens, nursing homes, health service stations, and caring stations, these spaces support the integrated and intensive utilization of public basic services.

"We aim to transform every community into a nursery for cultural innovation, achieving a leap from cultural enrichment to cultural prosperity. We are taking significant strides in the development of cultural communities, injecting a continuous stream of vitality into the high-quality economic, social, and cultural development of Juye," said Wang Jinke, a member of the Party committee of Juye county. (Edited by Xie Zhenzhen)