Why Shandong

Economy

East China's Shandong province has a vital impact on the country's economic growth. Its GDP reached 7.27 trillion yuan ($1.14 trillion) in 2017, with per capita GDP accounting for 72,851 yuan. Per capita disposable income of urban dwellers has amounted up to 36,789 yuan, with the counterpart of country dwellers reaching 15,118 yuan. The number of budgeted general public income in local areas, the fixed-asset investment (excluding farmers) and the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 609.85 billion yuan, 5.42 trillion yuan and 3.36 trillion yuan respectively. The urbanization rate of permanent residents in cities and towns has reached 60.58 percent, and the infrastructure systems of transportation, water conservancy, energy and other respects keep improving to provide convenient and efficient support for production and daily life.

Industrial structure

The ratio of the primary to secondary to tertiary industry in Shandong was 7.3: 45.4: 47.3 in 2016, signifying how the tertiary industry has overtaken the secondary for the first time. The trend continued in 2017, with figures of 6.7: 45.3: 48.0. Following after Guangdong province, Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province and Hunan province, Shandong becomes the fifth in the top 10 economically strongest provinces in China to successfully change from the “secondary, tertiary, and primary” industrial pattern to the “tertiary, secondary, and primary” pattern. In terms of internal structure, the proportion of high-tech industry with above scale output value is 35 percent, making Shandong’s rail transmit, high-grade numerical control machine tool, major technical equipment as well as its equipment manufacturing industry greatly competitive. Furthermore, the tertiary industry is developing rapidly, with tourism in Shandong now being worth more than 900 billion yuan to the provincial economy every year.

Agriculture

Yantai apples have been granted geographic indication trademark status. [Wang Qian/China Daily]

A major agricultural producer in China, Shandong’s output of agricultural products has been the highest in the country for many years. In 2017  it was worth 487.67 billion yuan ($ 76.67 billion), to the Shandong economy, an increase of  3.5 percent from 2016 Shandong tops the tables for total output of vegetables (106.18 million tons), fruit (32.96 million tons), and meat, egg and milk (14.88 million tons) nationwide. The total cotton yield (345,000 tons) ranks second and that of grain (47.23 million tons) and oil (3.28 million tons) take the third place. The export of agricultural products, $17.01 billion, takes up a quarter of the national figure, ensuring Shandong has been leading player for 17 consecutive years. Now it has become an agricultural product trade and distribution center, stimulating the development of surrounding areas in China and increasing trade with the whole world.

To speed up the transformation of agriculture from old kinetic energy to new and from high speed growth to high quality, Shandong is now actively implementing the strategy of rural revitalization and promoting agriculture by applying scientific and technological advances. When 26 modern technical system innovation teams are established, the contribution rate of agricultural science and technology progress will achieve 63.27 percent, and the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvest will be beyond 83 percent.

Holding "Two Mountains" theory－in which clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, comparable to gold and silver mountains of legend, Shandong province persists in taking quality and safety as the lifeline of agricultural development, so it is placing emphasis on progressing agriculture in the province through the idea of quality products, being ‘green’, and the idea of Shandong as a brand. It first launched an overall brand image featuring “Fertile Shandong Province, Brand Agricultural Products” and has started the improvement plan for cultivating land quality to vigorously develop ecological recycling agriculture.

There are more than 9,600 over scale leading agricultural enterprises, 190,000 farmers' cooperatives, 55,000 family farms, and over 200,000 agricultural socialized service organizations in Shandong, which have galvanized all kinds of new industries and new forms of business. According to statistics, the sum of 19,000 leisure agricultural operators’ income has exceeded 63 billion yuan, marking a new level of agricultural industrialization.