Dongying: From oil to modern agriculture

Dongying, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, has accelerated its agricultural transformation through technological innovation, brand development, and industrial integration, turning its once-salty lands into fertile ground for high-quality agriculture.

Built around the regional public agricultural brand "Yellow River Estuary", the city has built nationally recognized brands while boosting rural vitalization and increasing farmers' incomes.

Dongying has introduced plans and measures focusing on agricultural brand establishment and development, promoting the coordinated development among regional, enterprise, and product brands. By leveraging its natural endowments and unique salted land ecosystem, Dongying has cultivated specialty products such as Mawan Watermelon, Yellow River Estuary Hairy Crab and Yellow River Estuary Rice. Five of its local products have obtained national geographical indication certification, with the Yellow River Estuary Hairy Crab — valued at 3.19 billion yuan ($448.6 million) — standing as the only certified river crab in Shandong.

Across the region, innovation and quality drive production. Enterprises like Gujian Biological Technology use intelligent, fully automated cultivation systems to achieve stable year-round mushroom production, exporting to Southeast Asia and North America. Meanwhile, local village cooperatives have consolidated their fruit brands through advanced grafting and temperature-control technologies, achieving annual output exceeding 120 million yuan and benefiting over 2,000 local households.

To enhance market visibility, Dongying has also updated its brand development initiatives, integrating online and offline marketing, e-commerce livestreaming, and participation in major exhibitions. Events such as the Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival and various fruit-picking festivals highlight the city's achievements in branding, technological application, and cultural integration.

Today, Dongying is home to more than 200 leading agricultural enterprises, six national geographical indication products, and another 36 included on the provincial-level brand list. With its growing reputation and influence, the "Yellow River Estuary" agricultural brand is fast becoming a powerful symbol of Shandong's high-quality modern agriculture.