Rushan Silver Beach: A Stunning Destination with Sustainable Oyster Farming

Rushan Silver Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in China, lies at the central hinterland of the Jiaodong Economic Circle. It has been a favorite destination for tourists in recent years, but with the influx of visitors, the conflict between local culture, tourism industry and mariculture has become a growing concern.

As the pillar industry in the local maritime economy, oyster farming is carried out over a sea area of 600,000 mu, producing an annual output of 500,000 tons and an output value of 5 billion yuan. This has positioned Rushan City as a leader in the industry, forming an industrial chain that integrates key links such as breeding, farming, processing and sales. The entire industrial chain's output value reaches 10 billion yuan.

To maintain a balance between ecology and development, Rushan launched a special action in 2019 to restore and improve the coastal zone. As a result, a total of 12.3 km of coastal line was restored, and two demonstrative zones of integrated development for the oyster industry were built. This not only achieved integrated operations of the oyster industry, but also guided the concentration of individual oyster farmers in the park.

Rushan also invested in and constructed coastal landscapes such as Moon Bay Park, using the empty space after relocating the farmers. This has not only met the local residents' needs for sports, recreation and leisure, but also enhanced the area's bearing capacity of tourism. Moreover, the Tidal Lake Wetland Park on the west of the Silver Beach has also been restored by returning farming plots to wetland, saline-alkaline wetland restoration and seagrass bed restoration, thereby improving the coastal ecosystem.

This year, the beach has held recreational and sports events such as National Paddleboard U Series Race, "Beauty 18" Women's Half Marathon and Beach Music Festival, attracting more than 2 million tourists and earning an income of over 200 million yuan in the cultural tourism sector.

Source: News Office of the People's Government of Rushan City