Shandong province has made great strides in its all-round development over the past decade, according to leading officials at a news conference held on Aug 20 in the provincial capital of Jinan.

The conference highlighted the East China province's remarkable achievements during the past 10 years since the opening of the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012.

Shandong saw high-quality economic development during the 2012-21 period, Li Ganjie, secretary of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at the conference, noting that the province's GDP hit 8.3 trillion yuan ($1.21 trillion) in 2021.

Over the past 10 years, the province has shown great success in promoting rural vitalization and urban development, according to Li. The urbanization rate of permanent residents in the province increased by nearly 12 percentage points during the period.

Li added that the per capita disposable income of Shandong residents increased at an average annual rate of 8.5 percent over last decade and the comprehensive progress was made in the fields of employment, education, medical care and elderly care.

Moreover, Shandong has attached great importance to the revitalization and development of traditional culture, according to Li.

More efforts have been made in boosting Confucius culture, and promoting "Yimeng spirit" which was cultivated in Yimeng Mountains area during China's struggle for liberation in the 1930s and 40s.

Over the past 10 years, the imports and exports of Shandong surged from 1.55 trillion yuan to 2.93 trillion yuan, said Shandong Governor Zhou Naixiang, adding that Shandong is building a highland for further opening up.

A news conference on Shandong's achievements over the past 10 years takes place in Jinan, capital of Shandong province on Aug 20. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Photo taken on Aug 20 shows attendees at the news conference. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]