Yinzhou’s Rural Civilization Practices Showcased at National Rural Civilization Conference

“Yinzhou has built more than 500 embedded cultural venues across villages.” On July 17, at the sub-forum on thriving rural culture of the 2026 China National Rural Civilization Conference held in Changshan Village, Mamuchi Township, Yinan County, Linyi, Shandong Province, Yinzhou — the only county-level participant from Ningbo — shared its experience of revitalizing villages through art and cultural advancement during the exchange session.

For over two decades, Yinzhou has steadily pushed forward eight key cultural initiatives and forged a distinctive pathway for rural revitalization: enriching rural charm with craftsmanship, beautifying villages via aesthetic education, and fostering civilized rural customs through culture.

The approach rests on three pillars. First, cultivating a permanent rural cultural workforce. The district coordinates cultural commissioners and artistic groups to deliver services in villages, while discovering and nurturing local farmer innovators, artists and cultural troupes to build home-grown artistic talent that stays rooted in the countryside. Second, revitalizing underused spaces. Derelict factories and old residences are renovated into rural art galleries, intangible heritage workshops and other cultural venues, enabling residents to encounter beauty close to home. Third, nurturing harmonious rural customs. Local cultural resources are translated into industrial benefits to increase villagers’ incomes. Regular events including rural concerts and village opera performances leverage the soft power of culture to cultivate civility and boost sound grassroots governance.

Yinzhou presented the case of Zoumantang Village in Jiangshan Town. Known as “China’s Top Jinshi Village” for producing 76 imperial scholars in history, it is a National Civilized Village and was named a provincial model for art-driven rural development in 2025. Drawing on its Jinshi cultural heritage, the village produced the Yue Opera The Upright Censor of Zouma, which was staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. Vacant old houses have been transformed into heritage learning centres, traditional Chinese style experience hubs, lotus pond cafes and cultural and creative stores, breathing new value into the ancient village.

Recently, student volunteers worked with villagers in Qihua Village, Zhanqi Town, to beautify shared farmland with murals, adding fresh touches to the National Civilized Village. This year, Zhanqi Town launched the “Art for Villages · Beauty Meets Mountains and Coast” campaign. Through subtle micro-renovations, a host of small shared spaces — farmlands, reading corners and community gardens — have been upgraded, benefiting numerous villages.

Based on each village’s unique features, Yinzhou taps idle rural spaces and local resources. Focusing on seven dimensions including attractive environments, improved amenities, cultural inheritance, new business forms, tourist routes, distinctive festivals and talent recruitment, the district has developed 15 pilot sites for art-enabled rural development.

The 2026 China National Rural Civilization Conference opened in Linyi, Shandong on July 16 under the theme “Civilization Makes Villages Better”. The conference featured one main forum, five sub-forums and a showcase of outstanding artistic programmes promoting reform of rural customs nationwide.