Farmers sell strawberries at a plantation in Zaozhuang, Shandong province on Nov 27, 2022. [Photo/IC]

Approved by the State Council in July 2022, Zaozhuang in East China's Shandong province is revving up efforts to build a national demonstration zone for sustainable development with an "innovation leads sustainable rural development" theme.

Zhang Hongwei, deputy to the National People's Congress and Party secretary of Zaozhuang, said that the city has formed a three-year action plan to achieve the goal by creating 25 models and 100 key projects, with a fiscal fund exceeding 1 billion yuan ($143.55 million), special funds worth 10 billion yuan, as well as financial capital amounting to 100 billion yuan allocated.

Zhang added that Zaozhuang has established an expert advisory committee composed of 30 academicians and scientists, launched 97 major scientific and technological engineering projects, as well as cultivated 22 platforms and 21 talent teams.

A farmer works at a greenhouse on Jan 17 in Zaozhuang. [Photo/IC]

The city is constructing a pilot zone for green transformation of the agricultural industry, promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas, as well as building beautiful villages. Zaozhuang has established 10 standardized demonstration bases, including those centered around Tengzhou potatoes, Yicheng pomegranates, and Shanting sweet potatoes.

To reach China's dual carbon goals, as well as the province's goal of constructing a green, low-carbon, and high-quality development pilot area, Zaozhuang has initiated 34 lithium-ion batteries projects, with a total investment of 86.2 billion yuan, driving the advancement of its photovoltaic, energy storage, and smart grids sectors.

The city is applying technologies, such as big data, internet of things, and cloud computing, to accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. It is also building 10 communities centered on innovation and entrepreneurship. 

Zaozhuang is also focusing on cultivating 10 demonstration towns for rural vitalization and 10 characteristic towns. The city is also renovating rural infrastructure to guarantee household access to roads, clean heating systems, as well as water, power, and gas supplies.

Farmers pick chrysanthemum flowers on Oct 19 in Zaozhuang. [Photo/IC]