Dongming Launches Three Major Cultural and Tourism Events to Boost Rural Revitalization

With spring in full bloom along the Yellow River, Dongming County in Heze City, Shandong Province, held a grand launching ceremony on April 12, integrating the opening of Sanxin Pastoral, the start-up of the theatrical film "River Youth" and the opening of a comprehensive practice base. With the theme of "Splendid East New, Pursuing Dreams by the Great River", the event fully demonstrates Dongming’s latest achievements in promoting the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism and building a model of rural revitalization in Shandong.

According to Heze Daily, the ceremony attracted numerous distinguished guests, including Cheng Lu, former Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Zhang Hongwu, Counselor of the State Council and Tenured Professor of Tsinghua University, as well as Heze and Dongming government leaders such as Liang Yanfeng, Deputy Director of Heze Municipal People’s Congress, and Liu Liandong, Vice Mayor of Heze City. The famous musician Alan Tam’s team was also invited to perform, pushing the on-site atmosphere to a climax.

As a key project for the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism in Dongming County, Sanxin Pastoral is a new cultural and tourism landmark that combines modern formats with retro styles. It vividly restores the rural scenery of the 1960s and 1970s, with retro cultural squares, supply and marketing cooperatives and characteristic exhibition halls evoking people’s nostalgic memories.

Integrating experiential and interactive commercial elements, the project connects science and technology museums, Yellow River Grand Markets and high-quality peony and peony gardens, creating a comprehensive cultural and tourism space integrating modern agriculture, popular science research, leisure sightseeing, intangible cultural heritage display and pastoral experience. During this year’s Heze Peony Festival, Dongming will optimize tourist routes to enable visitors to enjoy peonies in urban areas and experience pastoral fun in the town.

In recent years, Dongming County has adhered to the concept of "shaping tourism with culture and boosting agriculture with tourism", making remarkable achievements in promoting the in-depth integration of agriculture, culture and tourism. It has built landmark projects such as Xiaojing Memorial Hall and Dongming Cultural Center, and successfully held events including the Yellow River Ecological Marathon and China·Dongming Watermelon Festival.

"Sanxin Pastoral is a vivid practice of our development philosophy," said Zhao Hailin, Secretary of Dongming County Party Committee. He added that the project, together with the comprehensive practice base and the film "River Youth", will inject new vitality into Dongming’s cultural and tourism industry.

At the launch ceremony of "River Youth", Li Dongyan, Deputy Director in charge of daily work of Heze Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, delivered a speech. She noted that Dongming, as the first stop of the Yellow River entering Shandong, has profound Yellow River cultural heritage, and the filming of "River Youth" is an important measure to tell the story of the Yellow River in the new era.

It is reported that "River Youth" is a theatrical film based on Yellow River culture, focusing on Dongming’s customs and the growth stories of teenagers in the Yellow River beach area. The event marks an important milestone in Dongming’s implementation of the Yellow River Basin ecological protection and high-quality development strategy, boosting the county’s high-quality development.