Residents knit at a village workshop in Linyi, Shandong province, in June. XU SUHUI/XINHUA

Daily harmony

Beyond economics, ancient agrarian values are proving effective in streamlining rural administration and community safety.

In Lingshui, a mountain village of under 600 residents in Beijing's Mentougou district, daily life remains guided by the "Eight Virtues of Lingshui" — time-honored norms that have sustained social harmony and ecological balance for generations.

"The elders always teach us to respect nature and follow the unity of heaven and humanity," said Liu Xiaoxin, a rural vitalization coordinator who grew up in the village.

Such values, deeply embedded in agricultural life, are reflected in virtues like "late walnut harvesting" and "penning pigs", which embody the village's long-standing philosophy of living in balance with nature.

"Walnuts are harvested 10 days later than usual to align with the local seasonal climate, ensuring better quality and yields. Livestock are enclosed to maintain a clean living environment," said Liu.

"These practices remind us to follow farming seasons, abide by communal rules, and cherish the natural world, wisdom that continues to benefit us today," she said.

Two other virtues, "shared autumn porridge" and "charitable giving", commemorate the spirit of mutual aid in agricultural communities. During past famines, villagers shared grain to save thousands of lives.

"Every autumn, the whole village still comes together to cook porridge, a 300-year-old tradition honoring the kindness and solidarity of our ancestors," Liu said.

In recent years, Lingshui has maintained peaceful and harmonious relations among villagers, with no serious public security incidents recorded.

Drawing on this agricultural heritage, the village has preserved its green mountains, clear waters and a harmonious environment, laying a solid foundation for its cultural tourism and educational tour programs.

Lingshui illustrates that agricultural heritage-rooted norms support sound governance and fuel all-around rural progress.

This balance between preserving agricultural heritage and pursuing rural development is exactly what Yang, the willow weaving inheritor in Shandong's Linshu county, has been practicing for over six decades.

"Our ancestors wove willow to survive alongside the land," Yang said.

"Today we weave the same willow to carry our agricultural culture to the world and build better lives for our rural families. The agrarian wisdom from our past still lights our road forward," he said.