China's biggest marine farm dazzles in Shandong

A breathtaking architectural form resembling a string of precious pearls with an attached bejeweled pendant has emerged on the water, 40 miles east of Yushan Wharf – in the Laishan district of the port city of Yantai, in East China's Shandong province.

This arresting sight is the country's first-ever ecological marine farm, Genghai No 1, owned and operated by Shandong Ocean Harvest Corp.

An eye-catching aerial view of the Genghai No 1 marine farm in Shandong. [Photo by Song Wei for chinadaily.com.cn]

Launched in 2020, the marine farm has achieved annual production of around 200,000 high-quality marine fish, with over 50,000 human visitors accommodated there every year. During the May Day holiday, phase two of Genghai No 1 was finally opened to the public.

According to the operations director of Shandong Ocean Harvest Corp, Wang Guanlei, phase two aims to create a modern marine complex that combines farming, fishing, tourism, dining, education and research.

The first and second phases are connected by a pier linking an enclosed body of water, comprising 400,000 cubic meters, at a depth of 10 meters. This natural seawater environment is designed to farm marine resources – including fish, shrimps, shellfish and seaweed – making it the country's biggest single-unit cultivation water body.

As phase two was being developed, the bureau of fisheries in Laishan district kept in touch with the company, ensuring they were up to date on its needs and concerns. A service list was created to meet the company's requirements, with dedicated personnel assigned to provide specific assistance.

Over the past few years, Laishan district has prioritized the needs of resident businesses by implementing administrative reforms and providing personalized support – aiming to create a top-tier business environment with reduced approvals processes, increased efficiency, improved service quality and higher satisfaction levels.

Thanks to these efforts, the streamlined business ecosystem has attracted more and more enterprises to establish their presence in the district – with 2,678 new business entities added in the first quarter of the year alone, representing 12.8 percent year-on-year growth. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)