Jinan, capital of Shandong province, has been actively promoting the development of culture, education, talent introduction, and public health in the Yellow River Basin, said Han Wei, vice-mayor of the city, at a news conference held on Oct 17.

The city is aiming to explore the contemporary value embedded in the cultural heritage of the Yellow River and tell the stories of the river, Han said.

Ren Xiaorui, deputy director of the municipal bureau of culture and tourism, emphasized the city's focus on key cultural heritage protection projects. Over 70 restoration initiatives, including the restoration of stone carvings in Lingyan Temple, have been successfully completed. Additionally, efforts are underway to make cultural heritage sites more accessible to the public.

"In the future, we will further strengthen cultural heritage protection, promote the integration of cultural heritage and tourism, and showcase archaeological achievements. We will use cultural heritage to tell the unique stories of the city of springs," Ren added.

Jinan has in recent years been beefing up efforts to promote the integration of industry and education in the Yellow River Basin, said Song Yu, deputy director of the municipal education bureau.

Song added that Jinan has established several professional alliances such as the Yellow River Basin industry-education alliance. Various activities, including forums and dialogues, have also been organized to facilitate cooperation between industry and education. Institutions such as the new energy vehicle industry-education integration community have also been established.

"We will focus on improving the quality of education and exploring new models of industry-education integration. We aim to accelerate the development of vocational education and innovation," Song added.

According to Ning Yanxue, director of the municipal human resources and social security bureau, Jinan has been making efforts to promote employment and entrepreneurship among college graduates to support national strategies related to the Yellow River.

Since the beginning of this year, Jinan has provided subsidies worth 75.02 million yuan ($10.31 million) to 26,700 college graduates and expanding job opportunities. The city has also allocated 1.14 billion yuan for entrepreneurship loans and Quangang loans. As a result, 111,000 college graduates have found employment or started their own businesses in Jinan, according to Ning.

Jinan is also focused on creating a healthy city, said Ma Hongwei, Party secretary of the municipal health commission. To do so, local authorities have rolled out several health-related policies, strengthened the integration of medical treatment and disease prevention, and encouraged people to lead a green, environmentally friendly, civilized, and healthy lifestyle, Ma said.