Tai'an in Shandong province has been included in the list of 39 innovation-driven demonstration cities in China, according to an announcement by the China Association for Science and Technology.

Innovation-driven demonstration cities are those designated to accelerate the implementation of China's innovation-driven development strategy and create a number of regional influential innovation hubs.

Tai'an was approved as one of the first pilot cities for "innovation-driven China" in June 2020.  

To date, the Tai'an Association for Science and Technology has established relations with 108 academic societies at national and provincial- levels, and formed 103 platforms for government-industry-education-research cooperation.

Thanks to such platforms, Shandong Zhirentang, a company that produces ganoderma lucidum health food, was able to cooperate with Fengshan village in Daolang town, allowing the village to be transformed it into a cultivation hub for ganoderma lucidum.

"Without the help of Tai'an Association of Science and Technology, we would not know such a good place for planting ganoderma lucidum," said Tao Lei, deputy general manager of the company.

A ganoderma lucidum plant base in Tai'an. [Photo by Lu Xueshi/Tai'an Daily]