Dazeshan's grape expectations

Farmers harvest grapes in Pingdu, Qingao, where the Qingdao Dazeshan Mountain Hiking Festival kicks off from Saturday. TIAN DAFANG / FOR CHINA DAILY

The town of Dazeshan has hosted the China Qingdao Dazeshan Grape Festival for 29 years and its grapes are reputed to be on a par with those from Xinjiang, which is believed to produce the best grapes in China.

Since 1987, the price of local grapes has increased 50 times to more than 10 yuan ($1.54) per kilogram.

Dazeshan boasts more than 200 varieties of grapes, including Muscat Hamburg, Zeshan No 1 and Golden Finger, and the town's local vineyards cover more than 2,300 hectares.

Dazeshan's vineyards are also benefiting from the growth of the wine and tourist industries.

The regional government has, in recent years, taken steps to preserve the natural environment, including closing a number of quarries and stone processing plants, despite their significant tax contributions.

The hope is that green industries will thrive in their place.

Gao Zhuting, a local village chief, is a case in point. Once the owner of a stone-processing plant, he was forced to consider a new direction when the plant was shut down. Gao invested in grape planting and he now owns an estate, which includes a hotel, and offers grape tasting, sightseeing and wine making activities.

Dazeshan now boasts 37 tourist attractions including vineyards and wine estates. The town's more than 70 hotels and restaurants welcome more than 600,000 visitors annually and they come to taste the grapes and wine on offer.

"We really believe that green development will be good for this region," said Guan Xiangbin, Party chief of Dazeshan town.

"We aim to become an international leisure resort area in the next five to 10 years."

(China Daily 04/28/2016 page10)