Yangjiashanli in Qingdao WCNA launches cherry picking festival

Two baskets of freshly picked deep-red cherries sit in front of neatly arranged boxes ready for sale. [Photo/WeChat account: qdxihaianfabu]

On May 7, the 24th Cherry Picking Festival began in Yangjiashanli, a region known as the "home of cherries" in the Qingdao West Coast New Area. With over 600 years of cultivation history and 412 premium orchards, this area has developed into a popular destination for tourists wanting a taste of early summer.

This year's festival presents a "cherry+" model that combines harvesting with various cultural experiences.

Visitors can pick cherries and enjoy floral sightseeing across about 6,000 mu (400 hectares) of crimson fruit and blooming peonies.

The atmosphere is enhanced by pop-up concerts with traditional and modern music, and local restaurants serve authentic "rural family feasts" for food lovers.

For families, tailored routes mix cherry picking with red culture education and interactive theme parks, offering a unique mix of learning and leisure.

The opening ceremony marked a big milestone with the inauguration of the Yangjiashanli Cherry Full Industry Chain Alliance. To amplify its reach, organizers also started a short-video creation contest, inviting influencers to capture the area's natural beauty.

By going beyond traditional village boundaries, Yangjiashanli has integrated fruit processing, film tourism, and winter sports into a cohesive development pattern. This multi-faceted approach to rural vitalization has recently earned the area recognition as a national model case for comprehensive rural vitalization.