In the bustling workshops of Hanting district, Weifang city, in east China\’s Shandong province, craftspeople are perpetually engaged in the art of kite making. Each kite is a testament to skill and tradition, involving 61 manual processes, from designing patterns to constructing frames.
Nearby, skilled artists create woodblock New Year paintings, drawing the attention of many visitors. Yangjiabu village in Weifang is one of China\’s three major production areas for woodblock New Year paintings.
Yang Naiqiang, an 18th-generation inheritor of Yangjiabu New Year paintings, explained that everything from carving the blocks to printing and binding is done by hand. Traditionally used as festive decorations during the Spring Festival, these paintings are now often bought as souvenirs or for collections.
An artisan works on a woodblock New Year painting in Yangjiabu village, Hanting district, Weifang, east China\’s Shandong Province, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo/Zhang Chi)
Known as the \”capital of kites,\” Weifang boasts over 600 kite companies, collectively employing 80,000 people. Together, these businesses generate annual sales revenue exceeding 2 billion yuan ($279 million) and export their products to more than 50 countries and regions.
Wang Licai, manager of a kite factory in Weifang, said his factory handles over 1,000 e-commerce orders daily. Last year, the factory sold 2 million kites.
Workers are busy fulfilling orders at a kite factory in Weifang, east China\’s Shandong Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Zhi)
Weifang is home to 17 national intangible cultural heritage items, including kite making, fruit pit carving, and paper cutting.
The preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage have spurred the growth of cultural tourism and related industries in the city. During the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday in 2023, Weifang\’s 32 tourist destinations recorded 3.33 million visits, generating a combined revenue of 260 million yuan.
Various kites fly over Weifang, east China\’s Shandong Province, Sept. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Zhi)
Weifang ranks first in agriculture, second in industrial scale, and fourth in economic size within Shandong.
The city is a hub of industry, housing 37 of the 41 major industrial categories in China, covering all 31 manufacturing sectors. The city\’s power equipment, high-end chemicals, new-generation information technology, and food processing industries have each surpassed 100 billion yuan in size. Notably, Weifang\’s power equipment cluster has been recognized as a national advanced manufacturing cluster.
Weichai Group, with over 70 years of history, is spearheading the integration of new-generation information technology and manufacturing to develop an industry-leading automated facility, dubbed a \”lights-out factory.\”
A robot assembles clean energy engines at Weichai Power Co., Ltd. in Weifang, east China\’s Shandong Province, Nov. 30, 2023. (Photo/Sun Guoxiang)
In the past three years, Weichai\’s industrial robot density has tripled, increasing from 390 units per 10,000 workers to 1,160 units per 10,000 workers. Prior to the transformation, over 500 workers were needed for a clean energy engine production line. Now, with the new changes, only 100 workers are required to fully operate a production line at full capacity.
Weifang also stands out as a national pilot zone for innovative vocational education. The city boasts over 60 vocational colleges with a student body exceeding 300,000, ensuring a sustainable talent pool for its high-quality development.