In addition to the very promising cultural and creative industry, Shandong University has also been finding ways to promote the development of rural tourism.

Wang Degang, director of tourism management department of Shandong University's School of Management, has led a team in dozens of villages giving lectures and tutoring villagers on the management and operation of rural tourism, in a bid to implement targeted poverty alleviation and make tourism a major source of economic growth in rural areas.

Research team from Shandong University finds ways to promote the development of characteristic rural tourism in villages in Shandong province. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]

According to Wang, his team's work has been rewarded with gratifying results. "For example, villagers' lives have been greatly improved through developing rural tourism in a scientific and rational way in Haoyu village of Zibo. The per capita income of the village has risen to 38,000 yuan ($5772.18) in 2017 from less than 2,000 yuan in 1997."

Zheng Jiewen, professor from Advanced Institute of Confucian Studies of Shandong University, is leading his team in promoting the database sharing project of Chinese ancient documents around the globe.

"In order to implement the project, the first and foremost task is to make the exact information about Chinese ancient documents sprayed in different countries clear," said Zheng.

Some achievements of Shandong University's database sharing project of Chinese ancient documents around the globe. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

According to Zheng, the project, which debuted in April, will take at least 50 years to complete.

For now, Zheng's team is promoting cooperation with Japan's Seikado Bunko Art Museum on database sharing of Chinese ancient documents from Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties.