Mountain and Sea "Real" Industry Co Prosperity - Yantai Observation of China | Yantai | Economy from the Perspective of Humanistic Economy

At Penglai Pavilion, General Secretary requested that "leading cadres should read more history and draw more spiritual nourishment from it.".

Thanks to the nourishment of historical culture, the development process of Yantai has always been characterized by the integration of humanities and economy. After a hundred years of trials and tribulations, as an important birthplace of modern national industry, Yantai never forgets its roots, absorbs foreign resources, and gives birth to the development genes of "introduction, digestion, and innovation". It has become the industrial capital and city of "quality is important to Liquan, industry is prosperous".

Inquiring into history: Cultivating an indomitable humanistic temperament in suffering

The ancient book "Shan Hai Jing" flashes with "Yantai elements" in many places. The infinite imagination and creativity of ancient people were the initial puzzle of excellent traditional Chinese culture, and also the origin of Yantai's humanistic thought.

Due to frequent raids by Japanese pirates, in 1398, Zhu Yuanzhang approved the construction of the Thousand Household Garrison on Qishan and set up the Wolf Yandun Terrace on the mountain, hence the name Yantai. The military fortress "Suocheng" is the embryonic form of Yantai's city. After the outbreak of the Second Opium War, the Qing government signed unequal treaties with countries such as Britain and France, such as the Treaty of Tianjin, and Yantai was forced to open its port in 1861. By 1932, 17 countries had successively established consulates in and around Yantai Mountain.

Amidst the depths of water and fire, countless righteous individuals explore the path of saving the country and the people. Faced with the questioning of "manufacturing is inferior to people", "tools are inferior to people", and "skills are inferior to people", Yantai has responded with "industry saves the country". A group of industrial enterprises were successively established, accepting and absorbing advanced technology, surviving in the cracks, striving for development and growth, making Yantai one of the earliest birthplaces of modern Chinese national industry.

The Zhang Yujiu Cultural Museum, with Sun Yat sen's inscription "Quality of Liquor" placed in a prominent position in the exhibition hall. In 1892, patriotic overseas Chinese Zhang Bishi, with a dream of enriching the people and strengthening the country, founded the Zhangyu Brewing Company in Yantai, ushering in the era of modern Chinese wine making. For a century, Zhangyu witnessed the development history of Yantai and even modern Chinese national industry.

Tourists are visiting an underground wine cellar with a history of over a hundred years in the Changyu Wine Culture Museum. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Zheng

Starting from brewing China's first bottles of dry red, dry white, and brandy, Zhang Yu broke the monopoly of Western wine on the Chinese market. Nowadays, Changyu has grown into the longest history, largest scale, and most complete wine enterprise in China, painting a brilliant picture of wine culture in the East.

Cold Yongchao, Deputy Secretary General of the Zhifu Historical and Cultural Research Association in Yantai City, said that in addition to Zhangyu wine, there were also modern industries such as Baoshi Bell Making, Sanhuan Lock Industry, Liquan Beer, and Luoguo Soap, all of which were controlled by Chinese people. Chinese bosses hired foreign technicians and employees, and Yantai was a unique scenery at that time.

"The spring and autumn events of Qishan are not like the smoke of the sea." Looking back more than 600 years ago, military fortresses that fought against Japanese pirates emerged, and after many vicissitudes, the city still maintains its charm today. Sitting quietly in a corner of the old courtyard, listening to the Jiaodong drum and guqin, cutting a paper of bright red window decorations, experiencing the simple and romantic life of the local hostages, tourists are immersed in it and linger.

Huang Jing, a resident of Yantai, lives near Suocheng and admires the local efforts to protect the city's cultural heritage. "The original scenery of Xuanhua Gate, which has disappeared for nearly a century, has been restored. The houses along Cross Street have restored antique style doors and windows, old green bricks and black tiles, and are full of ancient elements of Suocheng."

Bird's-eye view of Yantai Mountain in Yantai City. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Zheng

Walking along the winding paths of Yantai Mountain, one can see well preserved Western style buildings everywhere. Climbing the Yantai Mountain Lighthouse, you can see the sea view of the city. The port, which used to be filled with foreign gunboats and merchant ships, has become a modern international port. A large number of export commodity vehicles are gathering at the port to prepare for shipment by roll on/roll off ships, creating a bustling scene. Nowadays, as a patriotic education base, Yantai Mountain is bustling with tourists all year round.

Wang Yirong, the "father of oracle bone inscriptions" from his ancestral home in Yantai, wrote in a poem: "Yesterday I dreamed of riding the wind and waves, and the mountains were filled with lights like Yantai." In recent years, the Yantai Municipal Party Committee and Government have focused on cultivating the cultural tourism industry, creating creative markets, grassland camping and other diverse consumption scenes around large-scale events such as the Midi Music Festival and Citizen Culture Festival, enriching the cultural experience of citizens and tourists. Yantai, with its mountains full of lights, is constantly enhancing its cultural appeal.

A bird's-eye view of the "Genghai No.1" marine ranch complex platform located near Yantai City. Shen Jizhong

Looking down from a high altitude at Forty Mile Bay, the first and second phases of "Genghai 1" platforms shine in the water, connected by a pier fence, like a dazzling gemstone necklace floating on the sea surface.

Facing the summer sea breeze, the reporter boarded this deep-sea gem by boat. This is a "marine complex" that integrates functions such as marine fisheries, marine engineering equipment, marine culture and tourism, science popularization education, film and television entertainment, etc. After fishing at sea, Hebei tourist Chen Jiadong also visited the Ocean Science Museum and experienced the deep-sea elevator. He said, "The projects here have distinct characteristics and are more interesting than the complexes in the city."

Jiang Cheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Yantai Municipal Party Committee, said, "Yantai's long history, profound cultural heritage, and special geographical environment have nurtured a cultural essence of 'openness, innovation, and inclusiveness'. Yantai's humanistic economy, relying on a millennium long cultural heritage and leveraging its rich history, promotes the integration of industry and tourism for the country."

"Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea": forging a humanistic spirit that dares to innovate

During his tenure as the governor of Dengzhou, Su Shi created the "Poetry of the Sea City", expressing his endless imagination of the divine mountains and islands on the sea. The ancients regarded fairyland as an ideal place to rest, and the beautiful myth and legend of "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" originated from Yantai and has been widely circulated.

The people of Yantai understand that the profound meaning of the myth and legend of "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" lies in the word "Guo". The immortals each showed their divine abilities, with the aim of crossing the vast smoke and ultimately reaching the other shore.

Putting people first and achieving green, low-carbon, and high-quality development is the "other shore" that Yantai aims to reach.

The first hurdle for Penglai to create a "new era fairyland" is how to coordinate the protection of historical roots and the construction of new cities.

Scientifically drawing a blueprint for the construction of a new city requires brainstorming and adopting public opinions. At the 2023 Penglai City Promotion Conference, the planning and design results of key projects are accompanied by QR codes for soliciting opinions. Citizens can scan with their mobile phones to write their opinions and suggestions. "These details fully demonstrate the development concept of putting people first in a city," said Song Xiaoguang, Deputy General Manager of China Electric Power Construction Sixth Bureau East China Company.

Respecting history, respecting culture, and actively practicing the development concept of putting the people at the center, Penglai has determined the overall pattern of "one body, two wings", with Dengzhou Ancient City and Penglai New City as "one body", increasing efforts in cultural relic repair and protection, leaving enough space for cultural inheritance, and laying out industrial parks worth billions of yuan on the "two wings" outside the old city area, providing new momentum for urban development.

Tourists are visiting and exploring the waterfront pedestrian walkway on Long Island in Yantai. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Zheng

To see Penglai in the fairyland of the human world, and to see Long Island in the fairyland of the sea. Long Island, located between the Jiaoliao Peninsula, consists of 151 islands arranged vertically in the Bohai Strait. Taking a boat into the island, with the blue sea and sky, and flocks of seagulls flying with the boat, Long Island has become more and more people's "poetry and distance" with its good temperament and high appearance.

Green development is never-ending, and Long Island has anchored its goal of building an "ecological island". In order to "pass" the green and low-carbon threshold, it has employed "eighteen martial arts".

Long Island has made up its mind to demolish over 80 onshore wind power facilities that have already been built and put into operation, comprehensively clean up nearshore aquaculture, and turn the beaches where sewage once flowed into parks. The vegetation coverage on the island exceeds 60%. The local government has also established a garbage classification and treatment model that is in line with the actual situation of the island, achieving full coverage, full closed-loop, and public participation, solving the dilemma of "garbage surrounding the island". Among them, Daheishan Island, which belongs to Daheishan Island, will become the first "negative carbon island" in China to have a negative carbon equivalent of over 2000 tons of carbon dioxide in 2022.

Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd., located in the Huangbohai New Area of Yantai, has gone through more than 40 years of pioneering reform and innovation.

Wanhua Chemical Group was established in 1978 and struggled due to a lack of mastery of core technologies. Wan Huahua persevered to break through the technological blockade and embarked on a path of independent innovation and development. From a traditional state-owned enterprise that used to produce synthetic leather, it has grown into a modern high-end chemical new material enterprise. With over 100 major scientific and technological achievements independently researched and transformed, it has overcome more than 30 "bottleneck" technologies and become one of the most innovative enterprises in the national manufacturing industry, making it a leader in the world's chemical industry.

MDI, the flagship product of Wanhua Chemical, is a widely used polymer material that is now widely used in national economy and people's livelihood, such as building insulation, light industry and textile, automotive and home appliances, and other fields. "It can be said that every Chinese family now has MDI elements," said Hua Weiqi, Executive Vice President and Technical Director.

"In recent years, we have been working hard to tackle key issues and have made continuous breakthroughs in high-end fine chemicals such as nylon 12, citral, and biodegradable plastics, significantly enhancing our independent innovation capabilities. For two consecutive years, our operating revenue has exceeded 100 billion yuan and net profit has exceeded 15 billion yuan." Chairman Liao Zengtai said.

Today's Yantai Apple, with a brand value exceeding 15.2 billion yuan, has been the top brand in China's fruit industry for 14 consecutive years. In the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, Western apples were introduced by American missionaries. Diligent and intelligent Yantai farmers used branch grafting to transform local apples. Over the past century, they continuously improved and innovated their production methods, passed the planting technology barrier, and now they have also passed the market barrier. Fresh fruits and processed products have been exported to more than 30 countries and regions around the world, accounting for one-fifth of the country's exports.

At the Yantai Museum in Shandong, visitors can learn about ancient Chinese porcelain through interactive screens. Shen Jizhong

Between the ebb and flow of a thousand years, the world has already turned upside down. Yantai, rising from suffering, hardship, and humiliation, relies on the infinite imagination and creativity of the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" to depict a new picture of the integration of culture and economy. The "myth" belonging to Yantai is far from over.

Looking up at the starry sky: humanistic radiance reflecting a brand new future

On August 21, 1912, Sun Yat sen delivered a speech titled "Saving the Country through Industry" at the Clifton Hotel on Chaoyang Street in Yantai: "To achieve commercial prosperity, we must start with the manufacturing industry."

Tourists are playing on Chaoyang Street in Yantai City. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Zheng

At the beginning of the bright lights on Chaoyang Street, the Clifton Hotel still retains the style of over a hundred years ago. In June, on the shore of the Yellow Sea, the warm sun shines and the gentle breeze blows. As an important birthplace of modern ethnic industry, Yantai's physical industries such as marine equipment manufacturing, biomedicine, seawater desalination, and comprehensive utilization have flourished in recent years.

Taking Yantai Haiyang Port as the launch home port, China's first successful sea launch of a solid carrier rocket has been achieved. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Zheng

On June 5, 2019, China successfully launched its first solid carrier rocket from Haiyang Port in Yantai, China. As of now, the "Five Battles and Five Victories" have been launched at sea, with a total of 37 satellites launched.

Looking up at the starry sky, yet down-to-earth. At the location where the rocket "sets sail", a "Oriental Aerospace Port Industrial Park" is rapidly rising. Relying on a complete industrial foundation, Yantai is vigorously promoting the three trillion level industries of "Three Navigation" and heading towards the "Star Ocean" of high-end manufacturing. At the same time, we will create the first large-scale cultural and tourism complex in China that integrates "launch observation, aerospace science popularization, and research experience", driving the development of the aerospace cultural and tourism industry, attracting more people to understand and enjoy aerospace.

Bird's-eye view of CIMC Raffles Shandong Yantai Construction Base. Shen Jizhong

A vast expanse of blue waves connect the sea and the sky. In the waters of Nanhuangcheng Island, the largest mass-produced deep-sea intelligent cage platform in Asia, "Jinghai 001-008", built by CIMC Raffles Marine Technology Group, is like "castles in the sea", hoarding "blue granaries".

CIMC Raffles was formerly known as Yantai Shipyard, which was established in 1977. Over the years, the Group has delivered hundreds of marine equipment of various types, including the world's latest generation of ultra deepwater semi submersible drilling platforms "Blue Whale 1" and "Blue Whale 2", the first deepwater intelligent cage in China, the world's largest salmon breeding factory ship, etc. Among them, the "Blue Whale" series platform has taken on a significant role in the trial production of combustible ice in China, setting multiple world records and showcasing its prowess as a "major player".

"At present, the group's order amount in hand exceeds 3.7 billion US dollars." said Wei Chuntao, director of the customs declaration and transportation department of the group's supply chain management center. From purchasing technology to independent research and development, independent design, the company's independent intellectual property rights for various types of marine equipment have become increasingly heavy, and the equipment construction cycle and construction hours have been significantly shortened.

At the roll on/roll off terminal of Yantai Port, foreign trade commodity vehicles are waiting for shipment. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Zheng

From Jinshan Bay to Laizhou Bay, with a humanistic gene of inclusiveness and innovation, key projects in Yantai City are growing one by one. Dongcheng Pharmaceutical has become the largest production and processing export base of chondroitin sulfate raw materials in China. The sea cucumber active peptide series functional products developed by Yantai Huakang Biotechnology have been successfully launched, and Nanshan Group's fixed assets and annual operating income have both exceeded 100 billion yuan, ranking among the top 500 Chinese enterprises

"Providing sincere humanistic care for enterprises and entrepreneurs is a key move to optimize the business environment in Yantai." Zheng Deyan, the mayor of Yantai, said that with the responsibility of "serving the country through industry", Yantai focuses on developing "9+N" manufacturing clusters, vigorously promoting the "chain length system" of 16 key industrial chains, building a vertical industrial ecosystem, and striving to form a 300 billion level, 1 200 billion level, and 4 100 billion level industrial cluster formations, striving to use 5 years to rebuild a Yantai industrial volume. The city's economy is maintaining stability and improving, with progress and improvement in quality. In the first half of 2023, the total regional GDP of the city reached 470.565 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7%.

"I hope to see the sea rise high today, but if I don't reach Penglai, I won't be a fairy."

Entering a new era, the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional culture endows this city with endless vitality. Now, Yantai is walking on the road of Chinese path to modernization, and building a new highland by the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea.

Text and video reporter: Li Jingyang, Zhang Chao

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