At the foot of Taishan Mountain, the folk culture and lifestyle experience zone in Wanglinpo village in Tai'an, Shandong, comes alive at dawn, welcoming tourists and local sweet potatoes, stone-milled flour, seasonal vegetables, and other produce. These ingredients quickly make their way into the zone's 17 nostalgic workshops, transforming into authentic rustic flavors.

Moving beyond the model of developing single "star villages", Tai'an now promotes integrated rural clusters where neighboring villages collaborate as a community. Culture is a key bond. In Wanglinpo, nostalgic elements are turned into experiential businesses, with old houses converted into folk workshops, adding about 20,000 yuan ($2,836.7) annually per household.

Industry has become a core driving force for the rural development of Tai'an. In the "peach blossom wonderland" cluster spanning 12 villages in Feicheng, once fragmented peach farmers now share supply chains, e-commerce platforms, and a unified brand. Some focus on tourism, others on homestays or picking farms, creating a complementary industry value chain.

This year, e-commerce orders for the "peach blossom wonderland" cluster exceeded 2 million, generating over 100 million yuan in revenue, with average village collective incomes surpassing 500,000 yuan.

In the Jiunyufeng rural vitalization zone, located at the foot of Taishan Mountain, 19 villages combined resources to partner with a State-owned enterprise, doubling collective income.

This collaborative model is thriving across Tai'an, with 16 provincial-level and over 140 municipal- or county-level clusters covering 1,600 villages. From shared kitchens to shared futures, rural vitalization here is no longer a solo act — but a chorus of villages rising together.

In Wanglinpo, nostalgic elements are turned into experiential businesses, with old houses converted into folk workshops. [Photo/WeChat account: tsqxwzx]