In the golden autumn of October, over 10,000 acres of chestnuts in Qingyun Town, Linshu County, Linyi City, have welcomed a bountiful harvest. The sprawling chestnut forest stretches for 15 kilometers, lush and green, with round chestnut balls hanging heavily from the branches, and the reddish-brown chestnuts bursting from their husks. Deep in the forest, villagers are busy tapping the fruit from the chestnut trees, while others gather the chestnuts that have fallen to the ground, their faces radiating joy from the harvest.
It is reported that Qingyun Town in Linshu County is renowned as the “Hometown of Chestnuts.” Thanks to its unique sandy soil and suitable climatic conditions, the chestnuts produced here have bright shells, moderate sizes, sweet aromas, tender textures, and high nutritional value, making them a favorite among consumers. Relying on the more than 10 kilometers of the Shuhe River beach, Qingyun Town has focused on creating a golden beach chestnut sea. Six villages, including Liuzhuang, Zhu Cui, and Shawo, located in the heart of the chestnut sea, are specialized planting villages and serve as a national standardized demonstration base for chestnuts, developing into the largest and most well-equipped chestnut base in the area.
(The chestnuts produced in Qingyun Town, Linshu County, have bright shells, moderate sizes, and a sweet aroma.)
In recent years, Linshu County has implemented a rural revitalization strategy as its main approach, focusing on the high-quality development of the chestnut industry. It has fully promoted new chestnut varieties and technologies, enhancing the brand effect of Qingyun chestnuts and carefully creating the “Yimeng Good Chestnuts” rural revitalization demonstration area. The county has developed deep processing projects for chestnuts, integrating 42 million yuan in funds to improve chestnut varieties and create local brands like “Emperor Chestnuts” and “Large Chestnuts.” It has deepened village-enterprise cooperation, developing specialty agricultural products such as candied chestnuts and frozen chestnut kernels, thereby increasing the added value of the chestnut industry. The county is also promoting rural tourism, utilizing the “internet-famous” bridge in Shawo Village to build the “Golden Beach Chestnut Sea” scenic area, offering activities such as family camping, vacation homestays, and “adopt a tree” programs. Through the integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, the initiative has helped villagers increase their per capita income by over 2,000 yuan, achieving an increase of over 3 million yuan for the village collective.
