Home to the Shengli Oilfield, the second-largest oilfield in China, the Dongying district of Dongying city – located in East China's Shandong province – is revving up its efforts to boost high-quality development in a raft of fields.
As the political, economic and cultural center of Dongying city, the district is the birthplace of one of China's eight major operas: Lyu Opera. As of 2022, the latest data available, the permanent population of the district numbered 551,500 people.
Last year, it generated gross domestic product or GDP of 59.2 billion yuan ($8.22 billion), up 6.3 percent on the previous year and topping the national and provincial averages by 1.1 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively.
Natural resources
Dongying district possesses abundant mineral resources including petroleum, natural gas, natural brine, shells, geothermal energy and small amounts of clay for bricks and tiles.
Among the wildlife, there are mammals such as wild rabbits, hedgehogs, badgers, yellow mongooses, moles and foxes; birds including swallows, sparrows, teals, ducks and geese; as well as rare birds like swans, cranes and bustards.
In terms of aquatic resources, the main fish species include carp, grass carp, perch, and bream while shrimp species cover freshwater shrimp, prawns, green shrimp and ridgeback shrimp.
Crabs include the Chinese mitten crab or Eriocheir sinensis; shellfish to be found are clams, oysters, fish cockles, bamboo clams and razor clams. Freshwater specialties include Yellow River carp and Yellow River razorfish.
Wild medicinal herbs grow there such as Chinese motherwort, dodder, plantain seeds, and rhubarb.
Tourist attractions
Covering an area of more than 5,000 mu (333 hectares), the Lancui Lake Tourist Resort in Dongying district has developed several major areas for water activities, business leisure, ecological plants and middle-aged and elderly fitness, involving a dozen projects.
The resort is lush and green, with a profusion of evergreen trees that thrive throughout the year. Moreover, it's home to over 170 plant species, more than 1.6 million trees and 600,000 square meters of green space, making it one of the most beautiful lakes in the urban area.
To top it off, it has been rated as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a demonstration zone for agricultural tourism in Shandong.
The Longju Yellow River Forest Tourist Resort is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction in Longju town, Dongying district. It covers a total area of 41,129 mu (2,741 hectares).
The resort is based on the Longju Ecological Forest Farm – consisting of Longqi Wetland Park, the Lifeng Hot Spring Tourist Resort, Taohuadao Tourist Resort, Tianmuyuan Ecological Farm and Kangyuan Agriculture.
