East China's Shandong province has been making great efforts in pursuing high-quality development by boosting scientific and technological advances and industrial upgrading, while also making use of its geographic and resource advantages.

With the implementation of the major national strategy for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, the province, where the river meets the sea, has taken on a new look and embraced bright prospects in its push for high-quality development.

A wide range of pre-made dishes are presented at the prefabricated cuisine industrial park in Jinan, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

At the prefabricated cuisine industrial park in Jinan, capital of Shandong, a smart food ordering machine attracts visitors' attentions. After selecting dishes on the screen, one only needs to wait 45 seconds and a prepared dish with the same taste as fresh food will come out.

The ready-to-cook meals, including cooked food and pre-prepared ingredients, have become increasingly popular since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, given that only minimum preparations are involved. They are convenient for stay-at-home consumers, with strong appeal to young people.

As a major agriculture base in China, Shandong has unique advantages for developing its prefabricated cuisine sector. Its output of vegetables, meat, eggs, and milk ranks first in the country, as does its output value of food processing.

This intelligent food ordering machine, independently developed by the prefabricated cuisine industrial park, is expected to be used in public places, such as schools, office buildings, and airports, to meet people's dining needs during irregular times, according to Yang Libin, a staff member of the park.

Currently, Shandong has more than 8,500 enterprises engaged in the burgeoning precooked foods segment, gradually forming a complete industrial chain.

Robot arms assemble bodywork at an all-aluminum body integrated production line of the Weiqiao Lightweight Material Base in Binzhou, East China's Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In Binzhou, Shandong Weiqiao Pioneering Group Co, a leading aluminum producer in China, is developing a green way to advance the high-end development of the sector.

The group is building a base for the research and development of automotive lightweight materials. The aluminum chassis developed by the base reduces weight by more than 30 percent compared with a traditional steel one, which helps the vehicle reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

The base has established cooperation agreements with more than 20 automobile manufacturers at home and abroad. It also plans to produce new energy vehicles with its self-owned brands in the next five years.